Grimm Fairy Tales
by May Yuki
Summary: Red Riding Hood. Snow White. Beauty & the Beast. Goldilocks. These were the four Fairy Tales parents told their children to be cautious, that you can't always appeal to the goodness of everyone, that every rose has thorns, & that their actions can harm others. But those were just Fairy Tales...right? Enter a RWBY AU where these four Fairy Tales became pawns for the Wicked Witch.
1. The End of a Fairy Tale

**Yes this was heavily inspired by dishwasherultimate1910's fanart of Salem and the generals. In the event that he updates it with more lore, I may decide to go with it or go in the direction I intended.**

 **RWBY Volume 6 Spoilers ahead so be careful now.**

* * *

She emerged from the flames, striding towards the man lying on the ground before her. She was once...happy to see him again. But now...now, it doesn't matter to her anymore. She had trusted him from the moment he freed her from the tower. And look at where that had gotten her. When he died, she was lost. She did what she thought would bring him back by asking the gods. When that failed, she didn't think she would ever see him again...that she would walk this earth alone for the rest of time. She thought it was some sort of miracle that he was still alive. They could have been together again. They could have been _happy_. They could have been _free_. But no, she should have known. He was only back to do the gods' bidding. Those _damn gods_. He probably didn't even _love_ her anymore.

Just look at him. Trying to crawl away from her, as if that would allow him to escape _her_ retribution. _Her_ wrath. Her foot bumped into something, but she ignored it, her eyes seeing almost nothing but red...and _him_. How pitiful. He could have been a _god with her_.

Once she reached him, she kicked him over so he could face her. So he could see and feel her wrath before she ended him. He looked so _weak_ , just like when he had died all those millennia ago.

"We _finally_ had freedom," she seethed, her hand lighting up with fire.

Ozma, her once beloved, breathed heavily to try and recover. "I-"

No.

She would not let him try to trick her. _Not anymore_. She unleashed the flames onto his body, rendering his body to ashes. Then again, it was never _his_ body to begin with. He had just been inhabiting a stranger's body all this time. The thought of having been tricked by him pushes her over the edge and she lets out an angered cry before finally stopping the flames.

When the smoke cleared, there is not a single trace of Ozma. She stares at the singed ground before her, panting angrily. No matter what happens, no matter whose body he finds himself in, she will do everything in her power to _watch him burn_.

As she started walking away, her foot bumped into the object again, and only then did she stop to look. She picked up the small object and turned it over, taking in its tattered remains. It was a little stuffed animal, hand-made because he believed in the simpler things. Plus, he had made it with…

She started, realizing what was wrong. In her wrath-filled mind, she had completely disregarded the four little girls. _Her_ four little girls. She rushed back towards the rubble, hoping she would at least find one of them. She threw rocks to the side frantically and froze when she saw the pool of blood. She hesitated, not knowing if she'd regret her decision to uncover this last...piece of rubble.

"...M...mommy?" No. _No_. Salem summoned as much of her magic as she could to lift all the rocks in her immediate vicinity, hoping beyond hope that-

It took her almost everything to resist dropping said rocks in shock. A mere five feet away from her were her children - her little girls. The eldest had tried to protect her siblings and so was dealt with not only the rubble, but also the brunt of her battle with Ozma. Her once blonde hair was a sickening orange as blood oozed from a cut on her head. Her arm was completely mangled, most likely from the rubble crushing it.

Salem tossed the rocks to the side as she knelt beside her eldest, dearest Juniper. She wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of burning skin and she could already tell she was too late the moment she held Juniper in her hands.

"Mo...mmy…" That's right, it had been someone else that called to her. Her eyes scanned the area, finally seeing the green dress. She delicately placed Juniper back down and rushed over to her youngest, Lily.

"Mommy's here…" Salem knelt down, doing her best to _not_ look at the gaping hole that was Lily's abdomen. How she was still alive at this moment was beyond Salem.

"Mommy...it...hurts. How do I stop it from hurting?" Tears ran down Lily's face as she coughed up more blood. Salem then noticed Lily's hand clutching someone else's. She followed the arm to the owner and saw the pink dress. Kyra's favorite color. Her little sunshine. Salem closed her eyes briefly, trying to not notice that Kyra was missing her lower body. But where was…

That's right. During her fight with Ozma, Salem noticed Ember trying to run out of the corner of her eye. While Juniper, Lily, and Kyra stuck together, Ember had tried to find an escape. And that attempt put her in the crossfires of their fight. But they had been so focused on each other that they didn't even _hear_ Ember's screams.

"Mommy…"

"I'm here, Lily. What do you need?"

"Why...?" She never finished her question. Lily's hand went slack and a maroon cloth fell out of her hand, all that was left of Ember.

Salem sat there in mute silence. For how long, who knows? All she could think about was that she was alone. Again.

Lily's last word was a question: why? Indeed. Why did he betray her? Why did he make her think he was on her side? Why did she believe him? Why? Why? _Why_?

She gently placed her youngest daughter down and walked towards the end of the rubble, feeling rage consume her again. She tried to calm herself, but she could feel her hands shaking with anger.

She let out a guttural cry of fury and unleashed her powers on the landscape near her.

* * *

Salem blinked. What used to be her home and the surrounding forestry was now a barren wasteland. Spires jutted out of the ground throughout the area and dark puddles were everywhere. It looked almost like…

As if on cue, the puddle closest to Salem began bubbling and a claw emerged from the liquid. Almost similar to when she had tried to kill herself in the God of Darkness's pool, something emerged, growling.

The Beowolf shook off the liquid and stared directly at Salem. As Salem prepared to defend herself, it bowed to her. She looked around, finally noticing that all of the Grimm around her were doing the same.

She relaxed, a smirk beginning to form on her lips…

She could get used to this.

* * *

Salem walked through the main room of her once large and lavish home, looking around the rubble before her. Thinking for a moment, she raised a hand. Pieces of the rubble rose and she crafted them into a table and chairs. She recovered what she could and placed them throughout the large room. She stacked books upon books on the table. She'd take care of them later. She settled into the throne-like chair at the end of the table, steepling her fingers together on the table. She sat there, motionless, for a couple moments, trying to decide on her next course of action.

She could start hunting down the relics, but she doubted even Ozma knew where they were. It could take years - no, centuries - to find even the first relic. But she must. Mankind is weak. They need _guidance_ and _she_ will be their guiding light.

She scowled when she heard sounds outside the window. The Beowolves were getting restless. She needed someone to control these creatures first as they were the most volatile of the Grimm she had. It seems she'll need generals for her Grimm. She stood up from her chair, seemingly gliding towards the window behind her. She looked out at the bubbling puddles as more Grimm continued to emerge. There was a ledge in front of her and she knew underneath it was the largest puddle. She wondered briefly if it was the same pool that she had tried to end her life in. Nonetheless, that will be her determining factor if her generals are fit for the task at hand.

If they die, so be it. They were clearly unfit for the role if they couldn't even survive the transformation.

She glanced back at the table, her eyes lingering on a small little book...a fairy tale she used to read to her precious Lily...the Spring, the bright and happy child of her family. She smirked.

What better person to control her wolves than Little Red Riding Hood?

* * *

 **I may or may not add worldbuilding notes to explain what may appear to be inconsistencies in future chapters.**

 **The one for this chapter are the four girls' names and the aftermath of Salem vs. Ozpin. Of course there is still a lot still unconfirmed as of this writing (12/16/2018) so my friends and I had some creative freedom.**

 **I'd like to thank my friends for proofreading and helping me bounce ideas around. Y'all make this writing process fun.**


	2. Red Riding Hood

**Phew, this took a lot longer than I planned. I went through several rewrites for certain events and so on. But enough about that, on with the story!**

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there was a little girl with a red cloak._

 _And she was alone._

 _She once had a family. A mother, a father, a sibling, sometimes two._

 _And then one day she came back to an empty home._

 _All she had left was her little red cloak._

 _And the Wicked Witch's eyes upon her._

* * *

Salem scowls as she gazes out the window. This was not the good news that she was hoping to hear. It was supposed to be an easy mission. Destroy the silver-eyed warrior and come home. It was never supposed to involve _him_ nor his group. All four of them were not even— The person behind her clears their throat.

"Ma'am…" The gruff voice begins. "What...do we do?"

She exhales, glancing at the large man before her. It's funny really; he's twice her size but not only did he respect and revere her, but also _feared_ her. And that was just the way she liked it. She looks back out the window.

"It's simple. We either find or train our next Red Riding Hood." She pauses as the pools below begin to bubble again. "Send out the Beowolves."

"Understood."

"And Hazel…"

"Ma'am?"

"Be sure to send _her_ out as well."

* * *

Sobbing. That's all she remembers doing. When was the last time she _wasn't_ crying? When was the last time her family was happy? When was the last time _she_ was happy? The little girl looks up, tears still streaming down her face. She traces her finger around the rose emblem that decorates the gravestone before moving her finger below. Underneath the rose are the words: _Summer Rose / Thus Kindly I Scatter_.

Summer Rose. Her mommy. Well, _was_ her mommy. Now all that's left is this gravestone and the red cloak wrapped tightly around her body. Her chest tightens at the thought of never seeing her mommy again. It feels like it was just yesterday when she had given her mommy a big hug and wished her luck on her newest mission. Her mommy always went out on these missions but always came back with a smile on her face. Despite being tired, she would offer to bake cookies with her and her sister. But now, she won't get to ever do that again. She won't ever get to bake cookies with her mommy, she won't ever get to hear about her mommy's adventures, she won't ever get to hear her _mommy's voice_ anymore, she won't get to hug her and tell her how much she loves her. The little girl won't get to feel her mommy's strong and comforting arms wrap around her, telling her that everything will be okay, that all the monsters will be gone someday, that they're all heroes in a fairy tale. The only way she'll ever see her mommy would be in her dreams.

She quickly tries to wipe away the tears welling up in her eyes, but then she feels the liquid begin to freeze. How long has she been here? She shivers, pulling the cloak tighter around her. She looks up at the sky, at the falling white flakes. She should...go back. She turns around, ready to tell her dad that she wants to go home but her eyes widen in surprise.

There is no one around her.

Where did they go? Where is her father? Her uncle? Her _sister_? They were here with her when they had laid her...mommy…to rest. But where were they now?

What's going on? What's happening? Why did they leave her? Stumbling and shivering from the cold, she forces herself up.

She has to get out of here. No matter how much she wants to stay with her mommy...she has to find shelter. Warmth. Her eyelids droop for a moment but she shakes it off, knowing what could happen if she succumbs to it.

She trudges through the snow, her hands rubbing up and down her arms to try and keep herself warm. Heavy with the snowfall, the tree branches sag downwards as if they're reaching out to grab her. She knows there aren't _actually_ faces on the trunks but she can't help but imagine them, menacingly following her every move and ready to pull her in given the opportunity. She slowly makes her way through the forest, the snow reaching just below her knees. She can feel her fingertips numbing and she tries to warm them up with her breath.

She looks up from her hands. She just has to walk in a straight line and she'll be back home, right? Then she'll be bundled up nice and warm. She'll get to snuggle with her family in front of the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate and eating her favorite chocolate-chip cookies. There's no way they left her intentionally. Something must have happened. Maybe her older sister just couldn't bear to see the funeral procession so she left? Maybe they went after her, right? They didn't – _wouldn't_ – abandon her, right? They love her...right?

A cold wind passes through the forestry and she shivers again. She has to be close. Otherwise, she's not so sure she can last much longer in this cold. She takes another step when the howls begin, leaving her frozen in fear. The howls echo all around her, bouncing off one another to no end. Beowolves. It makes sense. She was always told to not be alone in the forest, especially during winter time. And yet, here she is, alone and without any help. Ironic that her father was the one that told her to never be alone in the forest and he did just that. Her heart begins pounding as she tries to locate the nearest creature. All around her are red, threatening eyes, and she can hear their growling as they survey their prey. Surrounded, she doesn't know where she can go. Back to her mother's grave? She might as well just jump off the cliff at that point. To the side? No, the wolves are primarily concentrated there. Forward? Yeah, right into a Beowolf's mouth.

Nonetheless, she knows she has to run. It doesn't matter where right now. All she can do is _run_. The moment she takes another step, she can feel something within her unlock – like a door that had been kept closed since her birth. A surge of power washes over her and before she knows it, she's zipping through the forest – almost as fast as the wind itself.

She barely registers the snapping teeth trying to catch her and the angry growling from the creatures as she passes them. Unfortunately, due to her lack of training, all she can do is run forward. She sees the large tree before her but is unable to stop or turn to avoid it completely. All she _can_ do is twist her body and her back slams harshly into the trunk. She lets out a sharp exhale of air as she collapses onto the snow-covered ground.

Her vision starts swimming as the creatures finally show themselves, entering the clearing. Beowolves, with the big ears that they have, the big, gleaming red eyes that they have, the large paws that they have, and...the large teeth that they have.

Half-conscious and cold, the young girl's eyelids droop as the Beowolves close in on her. She barely registers anything, barely realizes that one of the wolves has gotten _much_ closer to her than the others. It growls at her, so she slowly raises her right hand to try and push it away, only to have the Beowolf open its gaping mouth.

Shouldn't she try to run? Shouldn't she...try to scream for help? Someone's bound to hear her. They'll come and save her from the big bad wolf.

No...it's fine.

She feels warmer now anyways. It's so warm, she doesn't even feel the wolf's teeth digging into her arm. It's so warm, she doesn't feel any pain once it tears her arm off.

It's just so...warm and she's just...so tired.

* * *

Cinder is many things. Strong, young – she isn't even a teenager yet – fearless, loyal, a fighter, a killer, a survivor. But what she is right now...is lost. Well, at least she can keep herself warm with her semblance. With that thought, she lets a small flame dance on her palm as she follows the tracks once again. She honestly doesn't understand what Hazel's thinking. She's barely had any training to control these Grimm and she's pretty sure _he's_ not the best either. So wouldn't it make more sense for them to work together? Then again, he must have been privy to some information that she wasn't. Or rather, was this a test? After all, she's still considered the newest member of the group. Nonetheless, she'll eventually gain Salem's favor. She chose to follow this woman – no – this goddess for a reason.

Salem promised her things her own family never could. Food. Shelter. Power. Hell, even a _family_ , as fucked up as the rest of her faction was. She had killed her shitty parents and had nowhere to go. She was quite literally lost when Salem found her. And now, she has a purpose. With enough training, she's sure to be one of Salem's four generals. That was a position allowed to very few women, and Cinder would be one of them, no matter the cost.

Cinder scowls when she realizes she's back right at square one. She lets out a curse and decides to take off in a different direction. Maybe this time she'll-

The smell of blood is quick to catch her attention. The wolves must have found their prey. Moving forward, she tries to locate the source using the smell of blood. During her brief trek, she comes upon a scatter of rose petals. Did this person try to run away? How? Are these petals some sort of indication of some power she doesn't have? If so, what do these petals mean? What do they do? As she follows the trail, her face tightens, noticing that the smell of blood has strengthened.

She's seen dead bodies before. This shouldn't be different. And yet, Cinder can feel herself tense up as she inches forward.

She prepared herself for anything from her wolves feasting upon a dead corpse to her wolves devouring one another. But she isn't sure what to make of this. All of her wolves are scattered around the clearing in various states of disintegration. At the center is a tree but that's not what has her attention. Rather, it's Hazel standing in front of this tree, holding something in his arms.

Only once the wolves disintegrate does she step into the clearing. Hazel turns around, having heard her footsteps, and Cinder half-wishes that he didn't.

Red. That's all Cinder sees of what Hazel is holding. The last time she saw this much red was when she stood over their- No. That was the past. She burned that past down, along with that cursed home. There is only Salem and her New World Order. Once Cinder calms down, she realizes that it's actually a little girl wrapped in a red cloak. Hazel had torn off a piece of his cloak and used it as a tourniquet on the girl's upper arm.

"Haz-"

"We're leaving." His tone leaves no room for argument and Cinder knows better than to try and do just that with him.

But seeing the little girl cradled in his arms just leaves her with questions. What happened to her? How did Hazel manage to take down all of the wolves? Where was _his_ group of Beowolves? Why would he want to rescue this girl? What's so special about her? He could have just left her to die to these wolves, but it didn't look like he was going to change his mind.

Cinder never asked Hazel what motivated _him_ to join Salem, but the way he held the little girl gave her an inkling of the reason.

He walks past her and she struggles to keep up with him. "What's your plan?"

Hazel only stares in front of him, avoiding her eyes. Before she can ask him again, he answers, "I have no idea."

* * *

It's become increasingly common for Salem to find herself alone in her home with nothing but her thoughts and the creatures of Grimm that scour the area below. And so, there's really not much to do but stare out the window of the main room and observe her weapons of mass destruction. She can sense their urge to destroy, even from where she currently stands in her castle. She needs to find new generals to control them as soon as possible.

 _That man_ and his group killed all four of her generals in one fell swoop. No matter, the past generals were clearly too weak for the tasks she had given them. Just like the rest of them. These last four were clearly the weakest if they needed all four to take down just one silver-eyed warrior. Salem will just have to find new generals. She had made the mistake of assuming that just emerging from the Grimm pool would be a good indicator of one's strength – after all, she had done just that – but she was quick to learn just how wrong she was. Her first attempt at creating generals went terribly wrong and so, she quickly came to the realization that these generals must be trained before they enter. Nonetheless, she'll eventually find the perfect ones to lead her armies. After having been alive for so long, Salem's learned a lot – one of which is patience. Who knows, her next general might just walk right through that door-

As if on cue, the doors swing open and Hazel and Cinder enter. Cinder's eyes are wide with panic, darting back and forth, but Hazel's face is much more stoic, even though he's the one that's holding-

"What is that?" Salem asks as she inspects the little girl. Brief flashes of a simpler time cross her mind, one of which is a little girl in a green dress clutching a small, handmade figure of a dog. Salem hides any hint of a reaction and walks towards Hazel.

"We lost control of some of the wolves. They found this girl and-"

"And how, dear Hazel, does this matter to me?"

"I-"

Cinder notices Hazel's brief moment of hesitation and decides to step in. "Since all four generals are gone, we thought she could be a potential candidate for one of your next generals."

Upon hearing this, Hazel nods slowly. "I watched her from the trees. The wolves hesitated for a moment before they closed in on her. Only one of them actually stepped forward and she still tried to fight back." Hazel shifts the girl around in his arms to indicate the missing arm. "This was the result and I stepped in shortly after."

"So a fighter to the bitter end. Just like dear Cinder." Salem glances towards the girl in question. "Take her to a room and get Watts to look over her. I'll be there shortly."

"Ma'am." Hazel nods and exits the room, leaving Cinder with Salem.

Salem stares at the retreating figure of Hazel for a couple more moments before tilting her head towards Cinder.

"Now tell me. What really happened?" Cinder should have known Salem wouldn't have believed the story.

Taking a deep breath, Cinder prepares herself to tell the story. "The moment we touched down in that forest on Patch, Hazel took about half of the Beowolves with him without a word. I tried to call after him but he wouldn't turn back. Once he was out of sight, the wolves that were left with me – well, one of them – tried to make a meal out of me. I dealt with it." She sighs, frustrated. "Unfortunately, that caused the rest of the wolves to run off. By the time I found them, Hazel had dealt with them and had the girl in his arms."

"So you failed."

"I-"

Salem places a hand on the young girl's shoulder, indicating that she's said enough. "If the Beowolves won't listen to you, then you're clearly not ready for it yet. It seems you need more training."

Cinder knows better than to protest. "Understood," she replies, knowing that she's upset Salem – something she is loath to do especially when she's trying to prove to her that she _is_ ready to be one of Salem's next generals. That was why she tricked the other three to assist Red Riding Hood...and why she gave an anonymous tip to the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Salem didn't need that many – she just needed another one just as competent as she is.

"Good. We will continue your training after I take a look at the girl. Since four spots are vacant now, we should fill them quickly."

As Salem heads down the hall towards where Hazel had gone, Cinder looks down at her feet, scowling. How could she have been so weak? She couldn't control those Beowolves! She knew it. What Hazel had done was a test all along! Wait...but does that mean, that girl's rescue was a contingency? No, Hazel didn't look like he knew what he was doing. After all, he wasn't confident in what he would tell Salem.

Cinder shakes her head. Salem is many things, but Cinder has to admit that she can't see into the future. She would have anticipated what Cinder had done from the start and found a way to stop the generals' deaths. So no. This was all one big coincidence and once Little Red is out of the way, Salem will be able to focus more on what really matters. Finding her new leaders...and Cinder will be damned if she isn't one of them.

* * *

It's still so warm. Actually, it's much warmer than how she felt earlier. Did she die? Is she finally going to see her mom?

Slowly but surely, she feels her senses returning. She quickly realizes that she's lying on a bed and there are bandages wrapped throughout her body. What happened to her…?

Her eyes slowly and cautiously open, staring at the purple crystals jutting out from the ceiling. How did she get here? Why is she here to begin with? She hears a dark chuckle nearby, sending chills down her spine. A pale, young man with golden eyes and short hair is squatting on the bed next to her, staring directly at her with a psychotic and malicious grin on his face.

"Little Red is awake," he chuckles, almost as if he's about to burst into laughter. Ruby feels herself break into a cold sweat as she tries to get some distance between her and the man but he jumps off the bed, closing the distance between them within a matter of seconds. "Now, now, you wouldn't want to open up your wounds again. It would be a shame if you bled out now after all the hard work the doctor did."

Her eyes see movement directly behind him and only then does she realize it's a scorpion stinger. With his threat, the stinger moves around behind him excitedly almost as if he's a dog Faunus instead. She can feel her heart pounding faster and faster the longer he looks at her with that maniacal grin on his face.

Was he the one that rescued her? But why? He honestly just looks like he'd want to kill her himself and who knows what he plans to do to her before...or after she's already dead. Before she can ask any questions, the door behind the man opens with a creak.

"Tyrian, don't play around with my patient," a stern voice demands.

The man turns around, exasperated. "What's wrong, Watts? I was watching over her for you. Look, she's awake." The other man steps into view, allowing the girl to see that this man is much tanner than the first one with black hair and a thin mustache.

"Go let Her Grace know she's awake. I will give her a check-up until she comes."

The pale man looks like he's about to protest, but eventually relents, "Fine." Before he completely exits the room, he turns back. "I get her corpse if she dies." He chuckles one final time before leaving.

The tan man sighs exasperatedly. "I do apologize for Tyrian." The man pulls a chair over and sits down beside her. "How are you feeling?" The little girl isn't sure _how_ to feel right now. The last time she was conscious, she was about to be devoured by Beowolves. That memory comes rushing back and she tries to move her right arm out from under the blanket. The skin at her right shoulder flares in pain and she lets out a squeak of pain. The man places his hand on hers, oddly hesitant to say anything. "I'm not sure you are re-"

"She's a survivor, Watts."

Even to the little girl, she can sense the atmosphere in the room shift. The man has noticeably stiffened as someone walks in. Unfortunately, the man's body blocks her view of this mysterious person. "Your Grace! I didn't mean to-"

"How is she?"

"Abrasions on her face, a flesh wound on her left shoulder, her legs are a bit scratched up as well, but the worst injury is...well...we all saw her when she was brought in," he trails off. The little girl finally tilts her head to the side and sees the woman the man had been addressing.

The first word that comes into the little girl's mind upon seeing this woman is unsettling. She has such a deathly pallor that she's not even sure how this woman is still alive. But what terrifies her the most are the dark, visible veins all over her arms and the sides of her face.

The woman maintains eye contact. "Silver eyes…" she mumbles to herself. The girl overhears and shudders nervously; why is her eye color important? But the woman has already moved on from that point, "What's your name, little red?" The girl doesn't answer, but the woman is undeterred. "My name is Salem and that's Dr. Arthur Watts; we're here to help you." Salem notices the little girl look at Dr. Watts with uncertainty in her eyes. "Unless you want to be called little red?" Still no answer. The woman steps closer. "Regardless, Dr. Watts needs to check up on you." She nods to him. "He wants to make sure your wounds are healing properly."

Dr. Watts hesitates but only for a moment before he leans towards the girl to help her up. His right hand goes behind her to help boost her into a seated position, but she tries to get up on her own. It doesn't matter who these people are. She shouldn't show them weakness. They could be bad guys! However when she goes to lean on her right side, only then does she realize what's wrong. She had thought she lost feeling in her right arm because it was so tightly wrapped. But when the blanket falls off her torso, her eyes notice the problem.

The reason why she didn't feel anything from below her right upper arm is because there's nothing there. Throwing caution to the wind and ignoring any pain that shoots through her body, the girl sits upright – kicking the blanket away from her – and just stares at the space where there _should_ be her right arm.

She starts hyperventilating, tears streaming down her face. Is this a dream? This has to be a dream. She'll wake up soon and she'll see her father looking over her. Her sister will hug her and jokingly yell at her for making them worry so much and then she'll ask to train with her uncle so she can fight Beowolves and other Grimm, so this doesn't happen again. She'll wake up and she'll have both of her hands, right? It has to. This is just a bad dream.

"Why...is this happening? Why did they leave me?" she gasps out, her left hand trying to wipe away the tears.

"Who left you?" Salem asks, now coming closer to her. Dr. Watts backs away to allow her to sit down on the bed. The little girl tries to crawl away but stumbles and falls over to her right side. She kicks her feet outward to try and put some distance between her and this pale woman. Salem's face hardens as if she's going to snap at her but it relaxes and she smiles kindly, almost as if she's trying to comfort her own child. She gently places a hand on the girl's knee, her smile not once leaving her face. "We want to help you. One of my men saw the Beowolves attacking you and he rescued you."

Even though she's still terrified, hearing that someone tried to save her is...comforting, with all things considered. "H-he rescued me?"

The woman nods. "Yes, he was scouting the area because the Grimm tend to gather there around this season. He heard the howls and saw you surrounded so he rushed over to help."

"D-did he see anyone else?"

The woman shakes her head, confused. "No, you were the only one there. Why? Were you expecting someone?"

Her chest twists in pain but this time, she tries to choke back her sobs. "M-my family." She looks at the woman with bleary eyes, unsure of how to continue. Salem, meanwhile, continues to look at her comfortingly as if she won't judge what the little girl has to say. "W-we were laying my mom to rest a-and when I turned a-around they were all gone. I-I tried to find my way home but then they all came for me and I ran, super-fast. I just wanted to get home…but I ran into a tree and then there was a Beowolf coming for me..."

"Do you still want to go home now?"

"I...I don't know. I just want to know why? Why did they leave me?" The little girl starts crying in earnest now, not caring if either adults see or judge her. She's just so lost and confused. She doesn't know any-

Her eyes shoot open when she feels warmth wrap around her. She is quick to notice that the woman is hugging her, trying to comfort her. It's a tad awkward, as if she hasn't done it in a long time, but the little girl can feel and appreciate the effort. The two mutually break away from the hug as the girl wipes away her tears. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you'd like, you have a home here."

"Wh-" The little girl sniffles. "Where is here?"

"That...is a story I will tell you once you let Dr. Watts look you over to make sure your wounds are healing properly. But we can only help you if you let us."

The girl stares at the woman for the longest time, unblinking, before she looks away. "...by."

"What was that?"

"M-my name's Ruby. Ruby Rose." A brief flash of recognition plays across both adults' faces but Salem is the first to recover.

"I see. Well, little Ruby, Dr. Watts will examine you and then I can tell you the little story."

The girl acquiesces and Salem steps away, allowing Watts to come closer.

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Salem asks as Watts leaves.

Ruby nods slightly, looking down at her left – her remaining – hand. There was a lot of medical lingo that the doctor had used, but he was clearly reporting all of this to Salem, not her. What she did understand is that she had been out for a day, but _most_ of her bumps, bruises, and scratches have already begun healing.

When he undressed the bandages around her right stump, she had to look away. Salem seemed oddly interested as Watts examined the wound. She could have sworn one of them mumbled something about trying something out but she's unsure. As Watts put away his medical equipment, he had told her that she'll be given the option for prosthetics later.

Now alone with Salem, the girl looks up at her expectantly. "So...where is here?"

Salem nods, remembering her promise. She reaches into the drawer besides Ruby, pulling out a small, torn leather book. On it is titled _Red Riding Hood_. "Have you heard this fairy tale?"

Ruby nods, "Yeah! My...mom...used to read it to us."

"That's right, you mentioned your mother had passed."

"Yeah, she went on a mission. She always promises us she'll come back but…"

"She didn't come back this time," Salem finishes for her and Ruby looks down, tears threatening to roll down her face again. "What was her name?"

"S...Summer Rose."

Salem nods slowly. "I've heard of her; she's a strong huntress. Did they tell you any details about her death?"

"D-dad said she was given a mission to fight someone. But the mission was a lot harder and she…"

"Do you know who gave her the mission? Was anyone else there?" Ruby is only slightly off-put by Salem's sudden excitement and interest in this part of the story. Despite the oddness, Ruby nods.

"There was a man with sorta gray, messy hair-"

"Did he have a cane?" Ruby, confused, nods. For a brief moment, Ruby thought she saw Salem smirk but she blinks and it's gone. "I see. Thank you for telling me, Ruby. In return, I will tell you a different story – _my_ version of _Red Riding Hood_." Ruby opens her mouth to protest, but Salem anticipates this and continues, "I'm sure you've grown tired of the same story. Let's change it up a bit."

Ruby ponders about this for a moment but then moves to a more comfortable position and nods. Salem is right, she's listened to the same tale for as long as she can remember. It may be her favorite but she'd like to see how Salem can change it up!

Salem flips to the backside of the book and opens the back cover.

 _Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl._

 _She was locked away because of her unexplainable powers and her inability to die._

 _Locked away, the lonely girl desired just one thing: freedom._

 _She would look out the tower every morning and every night, in hope that someone would succeed in finally freeing her._

 _Once upon a time, there was a little girl loved by everyone, especially her mother._

 _And then slowly, they left_ – _her mother being the first to go._

 _Alone, the little girl had only one thing left_ – _the red hood that her mother had given her._

 _Alone, the little girl went out to find a new family when she came upon the lonely tower._

 _Little Red Riding Hood could see the lonely girl in the tower._

 _Determined, Little Red went straight to the tower, braving anything and everything she faced to help free the lonely girl._

 _Finally at the doorstep, Little Red encountered a man with a cane_ – _the last obstacle in her way. He called himself the Wizard._

 _He told her that the lonely girl was evil and that she was locked away for a reason._

 _But Little Red knew._

 _The true evil was the man that locked the girl up just because he was afraid of her._

 _The true evil was keeping someone locked up, not letting them do anything._

 _And so, Little Red challenged the Wizard, daring him to stop her._

Salem pauses, looking up. By this point, she has Ruby's full attention. "Well?! What happens next? Does she save the lonely girl? What happens to the Wizard?!"

Salem shakes her head as she closes the book, tracing her fingers along the spine of the book. "The lonely girl is freed and Little Red helps her escape but…" Salem clenches her fist. "The Wizard made it his personal mission to try and stop them, to cage them. He was just so scared of their powers and abilities that he didn't want them to be able to roam free. And so, the two went into hiding. For how long? Who knows. It's all a blur."

Ruby tilts her head. "Wait, this is a true story?"

Salem turns to Ruby, shocked, as if she didn't mean to let that last part slip. "Unfortunately, yes. Little Red has already passed; I was the only one that couldn't die. And when she did...I was alone again."

Before Salem can continue on with her story, Ruby grabs the woman's hand. "It's okay, though! You have me!"

Salem almost pulls her hand back but stops herself, "But what about your family? Don't you want to return to them?"

Ruby shakes her head sadly. "They left me in that forest...they don't want me. I'm alone too." She sniffles but does not let a tear shed. "But I want to help you beat the Wizard! I'll be your next Red Riding Hood!" she declares.

Salem can only stare at the girl in surprise. Deciding, Salem nods. "All right, but first, you'll need to rest and then you can start your training."

Ruby nods excitedly, finally smiling. "You got it, mom!" Ruby covers her mouth with her hand and pulls back, not meaning to have let the last word slip out. Salem tilts her head in confusion. Ruby nervously removes her hand. "Oh, uh...I-I didn't mean to...I can call you something else if you-"

Ruby is pleasantly surprised when Salem chuckles softly. "If that's what you want to call me, you may," the woman reassures her with a smile.

Touched by Salem's response, Ruby leaps forward and wraps the woman in a hug. "Thank you, mom!"

* * *

"So, how did it go?" Watts asks, leaning against the wall across from the door to the room. Tyrian is lounging on the ground beside him, the demented grin still on his face. Hazel stands off to the side, almost as if he's guarding the area from eavesdroppers.

Salem closes the door behind her quietly. Turning to Watts, she maliciously smirks. "Effortless. She believed the story and even declared she'll be the next Red Riding Hood."

"You're joking," Watts responds. "You're not actually going to-"

"Are you questioning our Savior?" Tyrian asks, pointing his stinger at Watts.

Watts waves dismissively. "Of course not. You and I both know what _that_ can do to them. Who knows what would happen if a child were to go."

"We have several options," Salem reminds them. "We're simply going to let each option develop and decide accordingly. If Cinder completes her trainings and is deemed ready, then she shall be one of my next generals. If she fails and disappoints me again, then we will let little Ruby step in. There are several paths that we can take so there is nothing to worry about."

"So, what is our next step?" Hazel asks.

"I will continue training Cinder, only this time, we'll add in Ruby to determine who is worthy. In the meantime...Watts, I want you to follow up on Haven Academy. Tyrian, gather intel on these...maidens. Do what you deem necessary to get information, but don't let yourself get caught. Hazel, continue to monitor the status of the Rose family. Training will begin for her tomorrow. She's had a long journey to get to where she is now."

The three men bow to her, splitting up accordingly. Salem, in the meantime, can't help but smile. Ruby has definitely been one of the easiest to manipulate. She hadn't even finished the fairy tale and Ruby had already decided on her next course of action. Salem chuckles darkly for a moment; it would have been pitiful to have to kill such a young child – so much wasted potential.

As Salem returns to her room, she glances back at Ruby's room. There was just something about her that reminded Salem of a long-forgotten past, when she was once... _happy_. Ruby didn't look like her at all, but her enthusiasm and young age brought Salem back to her. Her little Spring...her little Lily.

Salem mentally chides herself for these melancholic feelings. That was the past. She's moved past their deaths and she's not going to let those feelings stop her from her ultimate goal: watching him _burn_.

* * *

Cinder couldn't believe her ears. That little girl? That little _child_ who lost a _fucking arm_? Who couldn't even _defend_ herself to Beowolves? This girl was going to compete with her for a general position? How _dare_ she? What did this child have that Cinder didn't?

Cinder presses herself against the wall, hiding within the shadows as Hazel and Tyrian walk past her. After a bit, Cinder slides along the walls towards Ruby's room. She won't let this child take her place. _She'll_ be the one that everyone fears. _She'll_ be the one by Salem's side. _She'll_ be the one to usher in Salem's New World Order, not this _pathetic child_. Cinder may only be a couple years older, but she'll be damned if she's treated like a child while Ruby _isn't_.

Lighting a flame in one hand, Cinder grabs the door handle and turns it. There's only room for one girl to train and become the next Red Riding Hood.

"And it's going to be me," Cinder mutters. As she steps into the room, she feels an arm pull her back. She angrily turns around and throws a punch, but the figure blocks it with the palm of his hand. She scowls. Of course it'd be him. "Let me go, Hazel."

"Not until you close the door and step away," he commands. Growling, she does exactly as she's told and he releases her. "What were you going to do in there?"

"You should have let her die."

"And why is that?"

"She's weak! She couldn't hold her own against those Beowolve-"

"Those same Beowolves that you lost control of," Hazel retorts calmly.

"You _left_ me in the middle of _nowhere_ and expected _me_ to control those Beowolves?"

"The fact that you couldn't is a sign that you're not ready for the power or responsibility that Her Grace considered giving you."

"And what makes _her_ so special? Why does _she_ get special treatment?"

"Did you notice her eyes?"

"What?"

"Her eyes...are silver."

Only then does Cinder realize the importance of that fact. One of the first stories Salem told her was of a silver-eyed warrior known as the Grimm Reaper. The Grimm Reaper was a formidable foe, a threat to Salem's plans despite not even being affiliated with _that_ group. To take care of The Grimm Reaper, Salem sent a group of mercenaries to stop her. While the mercenaries did succeed in making her go into hiding, it costed their lives.

The fact that Ruby has silver eyes is cause for concern. But what does Salem plan to do? If Ruby _does_ somehow become Red Riding Hood – the thought makes Cinder seethe – how would it react to her eyes? Would the pool kill Ruby or render her eyes useless? Or would it simply allow her to control Grimm on a much larger scale than past generals? Is that what Salem is gambling on? If this gamble pays off, it's possible Ruby won't just possibly become the strongest Red Riding Hood but she could easily become Salem's right-hand woman.

Cinder can just feel her jealousy rise by the second. But she's already caught by Hazel, and who's to say he won't report her attempted murder to Salem once Cinder leaves? She lets out a frustrated sigh, knowing that the best course of action would be to retreat and find her next opportunity to get rid of Ruby.

"Fine, I won't get in her way." Cinder pushes past Hazel and walks back to her room.

As Hazel watches her retreating form, he shakes his head. Guess he'll have to keep an eye on Ruby for the next couple of weeks.

* * *

It's been several weeks since Ruby had been rescued. The girl only leaves her room if Salem calls for her, preferring to avoid the others if possible. Ironically, she doesn't keep the door locked – she assumes she has no reason to – and this allows Watts to come in and check on her when he needs to. Hazel occasionally comes by to check up on her as well and even play with her, almost like an older brother. Tyrian rarely comes in and in turn, Ruby avoids him. There's just something about the insane glint in his eyes that tells her to stay the heck away from him unless she absolutely needs something from him – which luckily hasn't happened yet.

But the one person she can't get a read on is Cinder. There are times when Cinder is friendly, trying to help her carry books and explain what something would mean...and then there are times when she honestly feels like Cinder is out to kill her. There have been several close calls during their hand-to-hand sparring sessions where Cinder barely held back a punch or kick. When it came to weapons training, Ruby was usually the one to walk away with scratches. But she always brushed it off. They were training to kill people after all so of course Cinder would do just that. And Cinder clearly was more experienced with her swords than Ruby was with her weapon of choice – a scythe. Despite these differences, Cinder's still the only one around the same age as her so Ruby would like to get to know her more. But Cinder's fluctuating attitudes towards the younger girl are confusing. And so Ruby had made the decision to finally leave her room of her own volition and sneak into one of Cinder's one-on-one training sessions with Salem. Maybe she can learn more about Cinder this way if the girl won't tell her anything.

Ruby peeks her head around the corner of the passageway, hoping that Salem hadn't closed the door. She didn't. Ruby hugs the wall as she inches herself closer, careful to not alarm the occupants of her presence.

"Not good enough. Again," Salem's stern voice cuts across the hallway. Ruby hides behind the wall by the doorway as she observes the training. Cinder is kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. She pulls out a glass Dust crystal from a pouch and her eyes glow briefly as she tries to mold it into something else. Ruby watches in awe as the Dust seemingly melts in Cinder's palm before reforming into a sword. Cinder lets out a gasp and the sword disintegrates, the Dust powder littering the floor. "How disappointing. What happened to the girl that told me she wanted power?" Salem pauses as Cinder slams her fist on the ground angrily. "It seems Ruby _will_ become the new General then."

At this, Cinder raises her head and stands up. She tries to mold a dagger this time and, with an angry yell, throws it at a target in the corner of the room. "I am _not_ going to let her get it."

Salem, unperturbed, starts walking towards the door and Ruby ducks back. "In terms of development with Semblances, Ruby has only had hers for a couple weeks and she's already built up her stamina and use it longer while you're still struggling to maintain the weapon's form."

"It's not that hard to just run at a high speed," Cinder retorts. Salem glares at the girl, her red eyes glowing briefly. Cinder balks and bows her head slightly.

"Then perhaps we should put it to the test." Salem steps into the hallway, looking directly at Ruby. "Ruby will use her Semblance and you will try to hit her with your fire. No hand-to-hand combat today. What do you say, Ruby?"

Ruby looks back at Salem. "Uh...I don't...know if I'm ready for that. I mean, Cinder's always beating me when we're fighting-"

"If you won't fight me, then you're clearly not ready to be the next Red Riding Hood," Cinder reminds her, standing with her back straight and looking down at Ruby. "To be one of Salem's generals, you can't show weakness to others. You have to be merciless, otherwise, you're just dead weight. Who knows? Maybe that's why your family _abandoned_ you in the first place."

Ruby's eyes widen, feeling the words cut her. She can feel her heart tighten as tears threaten to spill out but she closes her eyes and inhales, trying to calm herself. She opens them and is able to keep a serious face on.

"Ok, I'll do it." Ruby walks past Cinder towards the back of the room and starts hopping around on her toes. Cinder's right, Ruby decides. If she really does want to help Salem, she can't let what Cinder said affect her...or at least let them see how hurt she really was.

Cinder pulls out a red Dust crystal and successfully causes it to combust in her hands. Without any warning, she lobs the fireball at Ruby who narrowly ducks.

"Use your Semblance!" Cinder demands, throwing another one at her. Ruby rolls to the side and barely recovers before Cinder has another attack prepared.

This time, Ruby activates her Semblance and flies to the other side of the room, the rose petals cascading down to the floor.

This dance between the two young girls continue for a bit longer before Ruby collapses onto her knees, exhausted. Cinder leans against the wall, sweat pouring down her face again.

"How...do you expect to help Salem if you tire out so...fast?" Cinder taunts as she wipes the sweat from her face.

"I have to do it for...Mom," she replies, trying to stand up without falling over.

"So...you're replacing...your original mom after all, are you?" Cinder pulls out a smaller red Dust crystal, clutching it in her hand.

Ruby, standing on shaky legs, stares right into Cinder's eyes. "No...Mommy was Mommy...and Mom is Mom."

Cinder hesitates, trying to figure out what Ruby had said .The younger girl uses this opportunity to burst forward and tackle Cinder. Ruby wraps her left arm tightly around Cinder as they roll away together. The impact forces Cinder to drop the Dust crystal onto the floor. Ruby struggles with Cinder but eventually breaks away from their grappling, skidding to a halt in front of Salem. Cinder recovers and leaps towards the discarded Dust crystal, ready to transform it. She is _not_ going to let Ruby win this.

"Enough," Salem announces. Ignoring Salem, Cinder crushes the crystal and creates another fireball. She hurls it at Ruby who curls up to try and protect herself. Before the flames can hit, Salem steps in front and effortlessly grabs it with her hand. She closes her fist and the fires die with a hiss. She glares at Cinder, smoke rising from her fist. "I told you it was _enough_. Or did you _really_ want to test my patience?" A glyph appears beneath Cinder as Geist hands rise up, grabbing at her and holding her down. Cinder struggles against the hands as Salem towers over her. A Geist hand smothers her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

"Wait, Mom!" Ruby places herself in between the two. "I want to beat her fair and square and I'm not gonna be able to if you punish her!"

Salem glares at the little girl but Ruby, unflinching, looks right back at her. Eventually, Salem lets the Geist hands drop from Cinder and the glyph disappears from the floor.

"War is not always about fairness, Ruby. I hope you come to understand that sooner rather than later." With that, Salem leaves the room.

Ruby kneels beside Cinder, trying to help her up. "Are you all ri-?"

Cinder shoves her away. "Get away from me!"

Ruby's eyes briefly shimmer with tears and she flies out of the room. Cinder looks at the remains of the Dust crystal in her hand before closing her fist. "Pathetic."

* * *

Ruby shoves the door open and collapses beside her bed, her body shaking. She had overexerted herself during that fight and this last run just made it worse. Why was Cinder so against her competing for the general position? They are both just trying to help Salem so why would Cinder be angry about this?

Ruby takes a couple deep breaths, trying to reduce her shaking. When she stands up, her vision swims and she stumbles on the ground. A wave of nausea washes over her as she crawls forward so she stops, trying to push down the urge to vomit. Salem had mentioned that overexertion can lead to adverse side effects, but she didn't think it would be this bad.

Black spots dance in her vision as she hears the door open and someone gasp. Her eyelids droop just as the person kneels beside her.

"...uby?" the voice calls out to her. The only thing she notices before she blacks out is the maroon dress the person is wearing.

* * *

"...by? Ruby...come on, wake up," the voice says.

"Just a little...longer," Ruby groans, trying to wave the person away. She's still so sleepy and she'd rather not train. She rolls to the other side and feels rocks digging into her skin. Wait...is she not in her bed?

Confused, she opens her eyes...only to see that she's outside of the castle. Ruby sits up slowly. When she looks over the ledge, she sees a pool of dark liquid. She inches away from the ledge and bumps into someone. Standing behind her, Cinder emotionlessly follows her every move.

"Cinder…?" Cinder doesn't respond; instead, she grabs the front of the younger girl's shirt. Ruby struggles, trying to get Cinder to let her go but she's still too weakened from earlier. "Cinder, what are you doing? Let me go! I thought we were fr-!"

"Shut up!" The scowl on Cinder's face is enough to paralyze Ruby.

She had never seen anyone this angry before. And for what? What did she do wrong? What did she do to make Cinder so _hateful_?

"We were never _friends_ or whatever you think this is! You want to help Salem because of the fairy tale she told you? Good for you! But this isn't a fairy tale. This is the real, _fucking_ world. The real world isn't always happy and about helping others because you want to make them _feel better_ or because you wanted everyone to have a happy ending. The world is _cruel_ , Ruby. The world is cold and doesn't give a _shit_ about you! About any of us! Not everyone will get a happy ending! You were supposed to _die_ to those Beowolves that day in the forest! You were never supposed to _be_ here! I'm not going to give up the mantle of the Red Riding Hood to you so easily because _I'm_ going to be the next Red Riding Hood. _I'm_ going to be Salem's best. _I'm_ going to be the one to bring in her New World Order. And _you_ , Ruby Rose, are just in _my way_."

With that, Cinder shoves Ruby away and the girl stumbles before falling by the very edge of the cliff. Cinder concentrates all of her Aura into her palm, allowing the flames to erupt from the Dust remains. The size of the flame increases and Cinder hurls it directly at Ruby.

Still trying to grapple with Cinder's words, Ruby fails to block the flames from hitting her in time. There is no pain at first. When the fire initially collides with her face, Ruby could feel an odd tingling sensation and could sense the flames lapping at the skin around her eyes. And then the initial adrenaline and shock wears off and she's screaming in pure agony. Rolling around with her left hand desperately trying to put out the flames, she doesn't realize how close she is to the ledge.

Just as she's about to roll off, Cinder grabs her by her red cloak and pulls her back, choking the girl. Ruby instinctively grapples for the clasp on her cloak before having to come back to the flames still burning her face.

"Looks like I win," Cinder gloats. Flames erupt from Cinder's fingertips and burn the part of the cloak she had been holding, freeing Ruby from the chokehold. And then Ruby's falling. She feels her heart leap out of her chest as she twists around in the air, blind and terrified. It just feels like she's falling and falling...never knowing when she'll hit the water. Will she ever land in the water?

As the thought crosses her mind, Ruby's entire body is immediately engulfed in the liquid. All of her negative emotions rush at her. The top half of her face is now burning with an unexplainable pain now that the fire is put out.

 **Fear**. Is she going to live? What'll happen to her? Will she die? _Is_ she going to die? Is she going to see her mother? Is she going to have to disappoint Mom? How will Mom react if she doesn't live? She doesn't want to leave Mom's side. She wants to protect her.

 **Confusion**. Why did Cinder do that? She thought they were friends or at least acquaintances. But Cinder said they were never friends. But aren't they working towards the same goal? No, Cinder claimed that they had different reasons to help Salem. But the end result should still be the same right? So why is Cinder so against giving up this title to her?

 **Anger**. Anger at her Mommy for dying, anger at her family for abandoning her, anger at Cinder for trying to burn and kill her, anger at her _own damn weakness_. She lost her arm because she was too weak to defend herself and she's obviously too weak even now – that's why Cinder was able to gain the upper hand so easily.

She can't breathe. She can't breathe. She can't breathe. _She can't breathe_. Is she going to die here? Was she going to die when she had promised Mom that she would stay by her side and help free her from the Wizard? No! She can't! She won't break her promise to Mom. She won't let herself become someone who breaks promises after promises, like her mommy did her!

With that resolve, Ruby rights herself and scrambles, kicking her feet to push herself upward. Her left hand waves above her to help propel her, her right stump trying to do the same even though there's nothing there. Even though her lungs are burning and she can feel the sweet embrace of unconsciousness, she knows she can't give up. She'll get out of this and she'll help Mom get her revenge – hell, she'll get _her_ revenge. Not just on Cinder, but also on her family for abandoning her. She'll watch them _suffer_.

Something changes. Ruby can feel it. She's regained feeling in her right arm. How? It doesn't matter, she can't even see anything to begin with. The moment that thought crosses her mind, her blurred vision slowly starts to clear. Everything around her is pitch black but she can see the dimly lit sky above her. She's almost there.

She continues her motions and as she gets closer to the surface, she notices how _pale_ her left hand has gotten – as pale as Salem's. Her right arm is pure darkness and even though it confuses her, she knows she can't spend any more time in here. She has to get out of the pool. She has to help Salem get revenge on the Wizard. And in the process, she'll get revenge on her family and Cinder. _They'll all pay._

* * *

Cinder braces herself as Salem backhands her. She skids against the ground, stopping beside Hazel.

"You're lucky I haven't killed you where you stand," Salem growls. Cinder slowly stands up and is about to retort but she knows she shouldn't try and push it. Salem is right, after all. After angering her twice today, Cinder is lucky to still be alive.

"How long has she been submerged?" Watts asks, edging as close as he dares to try and find Ruby's body.

As if on cue, a hand forcefully emerges from the liquid. The pale, porcelain hand grasps at the edge before a much darker and sinister hand joins it. Watts quickly backs away from her, standing near Hazel and Cinder. Tyrian watches with mute excitement, his stinger flicking wildly behind him. Salem stands to the side to observe.

Ruby pulls half of her body out of the waters, gasping desperately for air. The liquid drips down from her pale body, forming a puddle around her, as she pulls her entire body out. For a moment, no one speaks as they take in Ruby's new form. A set of white horns protrude from her forehead, jutting out from her wet hair. Some of her veins are also now visible on her left arm but her right arm has their attention. She had somehow gained a Grimm arm while in the pool, its spindly feature reminiscent of bones rather than flesh. Her red cloak, draped over her, is now pitch black.

Ruby tilts her head up and Cinder smirks, the burn marks still around her closed eyes. The silver eyes are _gone_ , Cinder internally celebrates. But this celebration is cut short when Ruby's eyes open, sending chills up the older girl's spine. Where there was once silver eyes are blood-red eyes with hazy pupils, scanning the audience before her. When those same demonic eyes rest on Cinder, Ruby's mouth breaks into a twisted sneer.

No one has time to react when Ruby suddenly appears in front of Cinder again, a cascade of burnt rose petals showering them. The Grimm arm morphs into a scythe and the girl swings it at Cinder.

Cinder feels Hazel pull her back but it doesn't stop the scythe from slicing at Cinder's left eye. The pain quickly sets in and Cinder covers her eye, screaming in pain. She falls out of Hazel's grasp onto her knees, trying to stem the bleeding from her left eye. Ruby steps away, a satisfied smile on her lips. It disappears when growls from the nearby Grimm increase in intensity. The Beowolves in particular close in around the three, but Hazel steps back and out of the circle to observe.

Cinder looks around with her remaining eye, watching the Beowolves lick their lips in anticipation. Ruby follows Cinder's gaze but scoffs, unfazed by the Beowolves surrounding them. She slams her scythe down on the ground, its tip cracking the surface of the ground. The Beowolves immediately bow their heads, some even whimpering. One Beowolf, specifically one of the Alpha Beowolves, stand on its hind legs and howl. It lands on its front legs and charges directly at Ruby but she effortlessly dispatches it, its corpse disintegrating before it touches the ground. She looks at another Alpha – one that had also thought about challenging her – in the eye, but it bows its head from her. Ruby smirks, knowing what this means and turns to her would-be killer.

Cinder is still kneeling on the ground, groaning and gasping in pain. Blood is dripping in between her fingers and though she hears Ruby's footsteps, she is more focused on her wound. Ruby kneels down in front of her and Cinder glances up her, fear in her eye, for a second before ducking her head. Giggling, Ruby grabs Cinder's hand and pulls it away from the wound. There is a gash going directly over Cinder's left eye and is bleeding profusely.

"Aw man! I meant to get _both_ eyes." Cinder still avoids Ruby's gaze. Despite this, Ruby ducks her head down so that she can face Cinder. "Hey, hey, Cinder. Guess what?" Cinder doesn't respond but Ruby answers for her anyways with an innocent, yet not innocent smile, "Looks like I became the Red Riding Hood."

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there was a little girl with a red cloak._

 _And she was alone._

 _She once had a family. A mother, a father, a sibling, sometimes two._

 _And then one day she came back to an empty home._

 _All she had left was her little red cloak._

 _But then the Wicked Witch gave her shelter_

 _And soon, the little girl with the red cloak_

 _Quickly became the Wicked Witch's best soldier._

* * *

 **A couple headcanons in relation to this chapter:**

 **1\. Cinder is 12 (almost 13) and Ruby is 7. I'm guesstimating on Cinder's age diff btw her and Ruby.**

 **2\. My interpretation of the pool is that it transforms them in however way they need. In return, they transform into beings of destruction and whatever negative emotions they have as they fall in gets amplified.**

 **3\. Even though the Salem we know is evil, I like to believe she still has some semblance of being a mother...at least, to Ruby.**

 **The goal is to have monthly updates. I'd like to make it faster but quality will be terrible and I like to check in with my friends on their thoughts of how the story is progressing. And also because classes are starting up again soon. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Not at All Afraid of Her

**In all honesty, I have to credit Videocrazy for this suggestion. It was probably an off-handed request, but it got me thinking: what _would_ happen in between recruiting the next General/proceeding with Salem's plans? And thus, it not only forced me to fix up the timeline a tad...this chapter came about. The word count is halved primarily because it's focused on the aftermath and setting up the stage for the next chapter.**

 **Consider it a filler or what have you. But it bridges some of the gaps between Red Riding Hood and the next general.**

* * *

Is she dead? She blinks, looking around the dark room. Her room. Who brought her back here? Why didn't Salem just kill her? Why – _how_ – is she still alive? She raises her hand to her face, feeling the bandages over her left eye. _Ruby_. Damn her.

Cinder pushes herself up into a sitting position, her back leaning against the wall. She looks down at her bloodless hands; she should be dead. Hell, she should be completely blind but she was lucky enough to have Hazel pull her back.

She hears a giggle next to her and she turns quickly to see someone standing beside her bed. Standing only slightly taller than the bed, Ruby looks directly at Cinder with her arms behind her back, concealed within her cloak. Her exposed pale skin stands out in the darkness, reminiscent of a ghost.

"Ooh! She's awake!"

In the dim light, all Cinder can see and focus on are the illuminating, red eyes with their hazy pupils. Her natural instinct is to push herself away – as far away as possible – from this girl, this _monster_. But she pushes it down, deciding that if Ruby's here to kill her, then she'd at least die with some dignity rather than a cowering mass under the blank-

"Hey Cinder, did you forget how to talk or something?" Ruby inquires, tilting her head.

"How…long have I been out?" Best to see what she's here for first.

"Just a couple hours. It's nighttime now but I guess you didn't notice since you're half-blind now!" Ruby taunts Cinder. Ah, so she's just here to rub it in.

"Are you here to finish the job?" Cinder asks, looking her right in the eye.

At this, Ruby pouts. "Nah, Mom wouldn't let me. Says you can still help us. I dunno if she'd make you a general too but I'm guessing that's the only reason why she didn't kill you?" Cinder looks up, her eye wide with surprise. "Oops, did I let something slip?" She giggles. "But ya know, if you're gonna be a general, I'd rather just have the Beowolves eat me right now."

"The feeling's mutual."

The smile leaves Ruby's face, replaced by a frown that tighten the burn scars around her eyes. "You know, I still don't get why you hate me so much. I thought we were friends," she mumbles.

Scowling, Cinder answers, "Like I told you, we were never friends. Not everyone exists just to be your friend, Ruby. And I would've thought you'd realize that by now, after spending a couple weeks here. In case you didn't notice, none of us are really friends with each other. We each have our own motives for working with Salem. Some are here to get revenge on the Wizard, some are here for power, and some are here because they have nowhere else to go." She narrows her eye. "Salem's the only real thing keeping us all together right now. If it weren't for her, we'd all kill each other by now. I'm sure you're thinking about it too."

"Why can't we just get along? We're all here because of Mom!" Ruby protests, stomping her foot on the ground childishly.

Cinder scoffs. "You're still so naïve, Little Red. I thought the waters managed to finally make you learn the cold, harsh truth but I guess you were just trying to show off to Mommy Dearest when you got out." She slides out of her bed, standing up and towering over Ruby. "But deep down, you still don't really understand what's happening or how you survived, do you?" Caught off guard by Cinder's increasing confidence, Ruby takes a step back. Cinder grabs her and pulls her close, believing she has the upper hand. "You're still in way over your head, Little Red." The blank look on Ruby's face slightly unnerves Cinder, but Ruby's bright, gleaming eyes trigger alarm bells in her head. And that's when she hears it.

A growl from the corner of the room. Before she can react, the Alpha Beowolf lunges at Cinder and both she and the Grimm go flying away from the bed. The Alpha pins her right arm down while her left hand holds its mouth back. It growls, trying to snap its jaw at her face. Above her, she hears Ruby's footsteps coming closer before she sits beside Cinder, her eyes still glowing.

"I'm not the one that's pinned down by a Beowolf," Ruby teases before petting the Alpha on its head. The Alpha relaxes its pressure slightly, but still remains on top of Cinder. "You said that not everyone exists to be my friend and that none of us here are. But that's fine, because I've got the Beowolves to be friends!" Ruby nuzzles her head against the Alpha's mask before leaning back, letting it crawl off Cinder. It circles back around towards Ruby and nuzzles itself against her cheek, eliciting a small giggle from the younger girl.

The door opens and the Alpha gets into a defensive position, growling at the would-be intruder. However, Ruby places a hand on its back and it relaxes slightly as the man steps in.

"Have you been toying with my patient?" Watts asks, annoyed.

Ruby shrugs dismissively. "It was self-defense. Ein didn't like that Cinder was trying to fight with me."

"Ein?"

"Yeah, he's my favorite Alpha Beowolf so I _had_ to give him a name! Mom said I could!"

"Yes, of course." Watts sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Now, Ruby, if you would."

"Awww," she whines. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," he replies sternly. "Her Grace would like me to make sure there are no adverse side effects from what happened and that you're still healthy. You wouldn't want to upset your mother now, would you?"

Ruby hops up, the Alpha moving closer to her. "Fine, but only because Mom said so! I hate going to the doctor…" With that, she and the Alpha trot out of the room.

Once the door closes, Watts turns back to the older girl as she slowly rolls over into a sitting position on the floor. "That wasn't one of your better decisions in the year I've known you, Cinder."

"I don't want to hear it," she venomously replies, glaring at him.

"I suppose. Why waste my breath on lecturing you? Now, please sit on the bed so we can get this over with. Unlike you, I have another mission from Her Grace that I must attend to after I'm done with you two children."

Cinder does as he asks, sitting on the edge of the bed and letting him unwrap the bandages around her closed eye. "What is she planning on doing with me?" she asks as he examines the cut around her eye.

"She believes you still have some use," he begins, tilting his head left and right. "I, for one, don't."

Cinder rolls her eye, feeling the muscles on the left side of her face try to do the same unsuccessfully. The motion agitates the wound as the pain flares up around her eye and through gritted teeth, she mutters, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Even if Watts noticed what just transpired, he ignores it. "My pleasure. Once you've recovered and gotten accustomed to your new…situation, she'll start sending you out on missions again." Watts dabs at the wound with a gauze and Cinder tenses up from the residual pain. Once he's finished disinfecting it again, he wraps new bandages around the cut before leaning away. "Other than that injury, you still have a Semblance and according to Her Grace, your negotiation skills are still the best amongst us." Watts walks towards the door and turns back to add, "If you didn't have such a silver tongue, you'd be dead already. Unfortunate that the Red Riding Hood didn't cut that out instead. We'd be done with you by now, but c'est la vie. I suggest you find a way to make it up to Her Grace. Skills or not, you've angered her more than enough to warrant a death penalty on your head."

With that, he leaves the room. Alone, Cinder looks down at the ground as her emotions threaten to overwhelm her. _She_ should be the one beside Salem right now, not Ruby. _She_ should be the one that _isn't_ half blind. _**She**_ should have been the Red Riding Hood and _not_ Ruby. Cinder curls up the bedsheets on either side of her, gritting her teeth in anger. Drops of water fall onto her thighs and she tries to stifle her sobs as her bandages become damp with her tears.

* * *

Truthfully, Watts didn't think Ruby would survive. Hell, she should be blind! The skin around her eyelids is darkened and puckered – where most of the flames had burned – while the skin around her temples – where the flames hadn't done as much damage – is tender and sensitive. Watts can see black veins underlying the tender skin, similar to Salem – most likely a byproduct of the pool. She was blind and confused when Cinder threw her in. She never should have made it out of those waters. But here she is, sitting in his "office" and letting him examine her. The only significant difference is that the eyes seem to glow whenever she tries to use her power. The Alpha Beowolf that followed them into the room had started getting restless and all she had to do was look at it to get it to behave. Truly fascinating. But what fascinates him the most is her Grimm arm; the sheer fact that it _grew_ while she was in the pool…that power could be rather useful. But he's not the type to cut replace his body parts with Grimm any time soon. But he's not against trying it on someone else…

"Extraordinary," he whispers, examining the connected skin between her pale skin and the Grimm arm. Her black veins have become visible, almost as if they're crawling up her shoulder, but Ruby barely notices it as she flexes her fingers to indicate that she has control of the arm.

"Is it done yet?" his test subj- his patient asks. His hand hovers over the merged skin for a moment, debating, before pulling away. Fascinated as he is with her arm, and transformation, even he knows his limits. It's best to take this slow and see what happens over time. Could the Grimm DNA spread throughout her body? If so, what happens then? Would she become nothing but a Grimm herself or would she be able to harness it?

Even with the questions running through his head, he decides to step back. "Yes." He'll observe from a distance for now.

Ruby instantly springs off the chair, stretching. "Finally! My back was starting to hurt from sitting like that!" She looks around the room for the Alpha. Not seeing it, she scowls at Watts. "And Ein got so bored he left too! Now I have to go find him later!" She huffs, but continues, "So what'd you find out about this arm? It's kinda freaky-looking but it was pretty cool when it turned into a scythe just because I thought about it!"

Watts does a double-take. "Your arm…transformed because…you thought about it?"

Ruby nods. "Uh-huh! I was thinking, 'Man, a scythe would be so cool right now. I can get both of her eyes!' And then I felt this weird tingly feeling and next thing I know, my arm's a scythe! It was so cool!" Her excitement gets the better of her and she starts jumping around the room as she recalls what happened earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Watts is mulling over the implications. Ruby _is_ the first one to ever emerge from the pool with a Grimm appendage – then again, she's the first one to have ever gone in unprepared and missing a limb to begin with. Did Salem know what would happen? _Could_ she have known what would happen? "Have you tried anything else since then?" he inquires.

She shakes her head. "Nah, Mom said not to do anything until you've given me my checkup! But since you're done, I can do whatever I want!" She does a little hop as Watts's eyes widen.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be reporting to Her Grace?"

"She didn't say what I had to do afterwards so I'm gonna go and train with Haze!" She grins cheekily. "I have some ideas I wanna try out!"

"Do understand that if something were to go wrong, I won't be patching you up," Watts informs her.

Ruby giggles. "You wish, but Mom isn't gonna let you make that decision!" she shoots back, skipping over to the door. Watts coughs into his fist. He was not expecting that rebuttal. Continuing on, she asks, "Is there anything else?" When Watts shakes his head, Ruby waves goodbye to him and runs out the room.

Once she's gone, Watts exits the room as well but walks in the opposite direction towards Salem.

* * *

When Hazel rescued Ruby, he wasn't sure what really compelled him to. Maybe because he saw potential in her as she tried to resist the Beowolves…or maybe because the little girl reminded him so much of his sister, Gretchen. When he saw Ruby lying there, surrounded by the Beowolves, he knew. He knew he wasn't going to let her die like Gretchen, cornered, terrified, and alone. Gretchen was barely starting her second year of Huntress training when it happened. She was sent out on a scouting mission with her team. It was supposed to be easy. Then they were ambushed by Grimm. By the time a rescue team reached them, her bloodied body was all that was left. Unlike the other three teammates' families, he was the only one "fortunate" enough to have a body to actually bury.

He never wanted her to become a Huntress. He would have been content with knowing that she was at home, safe and sound. But at the same time, Hazel's a realist. He knew the world needed more Huntsmen and Huntresses, and so, he reluctantly let his sister enroll in Beacon Academy. He thought - he hoped - she'd be fine.

He was wrong.

When he held his beloved sister's corpse in his hands, he didn't know what the truth was anymore. All he knew was rage…rage that would be directed towards the man that led his sister to her death. His Grace was able to control it and and used it to convince him to join her own quest for revenge against the man.

"Haze?" Hazel's thoughts are interrupted when he hears the voice behind him. Standing at half his height, Ruby has to tilt her head all the way up just to look at his face. "Is everything okay?"

His face softens for a brief moment but recovers, "Yes, I'm fine. You said you wanted to train. Did Watts finish?"

Ruby nods, smiling. "Yeah! It was so _boring_! All he did was look at my eyes and then this arm!" She raises her Grimm arm, flexing her fingers. "But he didn't really do much, but he took _forever_ to let me know he was done. Ein got bored and left too! I was hoping he'd be here but I don't see him…Oh well! As long as no one tries to fight or kill him, I think it'll be okay!"

Hazel grunts in acknowledgement before asking, "So, what did you want to do?"

"I wanna practice with the arm." To emphasize her wish, it morphs once again into the scythe she had used earlier to attack Cinder. Ruby hums contemplatively, looking at both the scythe and the connecting point of her arm.

Turning to the wall, she points her arm towards it and it extends itself. Her face scrunches up in concentration as it stops a couple feet in front of her – but it's far enough for her. Dark smoke starts coming out of the midpoint of the arm, fingers slowly forming to grasp the scythe. Wiggling her fingers to make sure she has control, she turns them slightly to the right to grasp the handle of the scythe. With that completed, the bottom end of her scythe – near the connected point – starts to separate.

Soon, Ruby twirls around her new scythe for a couple moments before resting it on her shoulder. She flashes Hazel a huge grin. "Would you believe me if I told you that was my first time trying that?"

Hazel, stoic as ever, crosses his arm before answering, "Yes. It takes too long to do and it exposes you while the scythe separates from you."

Ruby pouts. "Aw, c'mon, Haze! Be happy for me! I just survived that pool and now I have this really cool power!"

Hazel's eyes widen for a moment before relaxing. To him, this excitement is reminiscent of…He forces the thought out of his mind, uncrossing his arms. "C'mon. Let's practice." He walks to the end of the room, waiting for Ruby to make a move.

Ruby flies towards Hazel, bringing her scythe behind her before she swings it towards his stomach. Hazel steps forward, closing the distance between the two and grabs the handle. Caught mid-swing, Ruby stumbles but she keeps her grip on her scythe. Growling, she uses the handle as her leverage, pushing it down – causing Hazel to fall forward for a moment – and she twists her body so she's able to kick him in the chin.

He releases the handle, stumbling away, as she sweeps his feet out from under him. He crashes on the ground, grunting as Ruby closes in. She hangs her scythe dangerously close to his neck, waiting for him to make a move.

"Looks like I win!" she announces. As she starts lifting the scythe away, Hazel brings his hand up and bats it away, leaving her off-balance. She almost recovers herself but notices Hazel's fist flying towards her. She twists her body so her upper body falls down. She lands on her arms and kicks up again, catching him in the stomach but is unable to do more than force the breath out of his lungs. He lets out another grunt as he steps away. Ruby recovers, sweeping the scythe out in front of her to clear the distance between them before resting it on her shoulder.

The two circle one another, waiting for the other to make a move. Suddenly, Hazel relaxes his form. "We're done for today."

This catches her off guard. "What?"

Hazel starts dusting his shoulders. "You've had a long day. You can train more tomorrow."

"But I'm feeling better! I promise! I can keep going!" she protests but Hazel shakes his head.

"And if you can't? You'll be disappointing your mother," he reminds her.

"Aww fine…" Ruby pouts. "What do I do now?"

"It's gotten late. You should rest for tomorrow." Ruby nods, setting her scythe against the wall. "C'mon."

Ruby follows closely behind Hazel. "So? So? How'd I do today?"

"You've gotten a bit better. But still not good enough."

"Aw c'mon! What'll it take?!" she asks, looking up at him.

"A lot more than that. You've got a long way to go, Ruby," he answers. But he'll be damned if he doesn't help her improve her combat skills. He won't let her die. He may have failed to protect Gretchen, but he won't let it happen again.

As they leave the room, Ruby's scythe starts dissolving. Once Hazel closes the door behind them, there is no trace of the scythe left.

* * *

Filth.

 _Shut up_.

Degenerate.

 _Shut up. Shut up._

 **Insect**.

 _Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

Tyrian stumbles around his room, trying to block out the voices. _Shut up! Shut up!_ He crashes into the door, rolling out as Ruby and Hazel cross paths with him. He turns on them, his stinger pointing at Ruby who was reaching out to check on him. "What do you want?!"

"We were going back to our rooms," Hazel explains calmly, unaffected by Tyrian's sudden appearance and emotional distress. Ruby steps forward, curious, but Hazel stops her. "Let's go, Ruby."

As they continue their way down, she glances back, watching Tyrian curl into a ball in the middle of the hallway. She asks Hazel, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"This happens sometimes. It's not worth your time worrying."

"But he's just in the middle of the hallway!"

"Watts will check on him in a bit," Hazel explains.

Ruby, however, is still unsatisfied and moves to block Hazel's path. "Can't you at least tell me what's wrong with him?"

Hazel glances over his shoulder back to Tyrian. "He's a Faunus. And if you thought the world is unkind to people like us, Faunus are even more unfortunate," he explains before walking around Ruby. "C'mon. Watts is nearby so he probably heard the noise." As if on cue, Watts appears, sneering, beside Tyrian. Ruby catches up to Hazel. "Like I told you, Ruby, this isn't the first time. And it won't be the last. Everyone here has their own past and their own reasons why they're helping Her Grace. I'm sure Cinder's told you something similar. It's best if you find out what it is you want to get out of this and stick to it rather than rely on us." Ruby glances at Cinder's door as they walk by. "You chose to join us, meaning that you're going to have to do things our way. And our way is every man for himself." Ruby stops in front of her door as Hazel continues down the hallway to his room. "Don't forget that."

Hazel enters his room, leaving Ruby alone in her area. She looks back down the hall as Watts helps walk Tyrian in the opposite direction towards the infirmary. It's a bit strange to hear everyone say that it's best to not worry about each other, and yet, she sees evidence right in front of her to suggest otherwise. For starters, Hazel's been pretty much her big brother since she got here! He's made sure she doesn't get hurt during training and always kept Tyrian away from her. But what he just said... Ugh, this is just confusing her! Why is everyone still acting like friends but then hate each other at the same time? It doesn't make any sense! Distracted by her thoughts, she doesn't hear the heavy footsteps coming towards her until the owner of those steps starts butting its head against her arm.

Ruby jumps in place, surprised, and turns her head. The Alpha Beowolf that had been with her earlier has returned. She lets out a small gasp, "Ein! You came back!" She hugs its neck for a moment, digging her head into its fur before letting go. She leads it into her room and sits down on her bed. She looks at her contrasting hands as the Alpha settles down beside her bed. She flexes the fingers on both hands, comparing how fast the fingers on her Grimm hand seem to move.

The Alpha tilts it head up at her and she pets the top of its mask. "Ok! It's gotten super late and Mom wants to see me tomorrow so it's time to sleep! G'night, Ein!" Ein rests its head back down onto its front paws. Ruby looks at it for a couple moments before unclasping her cloak. She unfurls it, letting it fall squarely onto its back.

She pets Ein one more time before settling into bed for the night. It's been one hell of a day.

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Ruby asks, looking around. Ein follows her closely. She had woken up rather early - by her standards, at least, but she wasn't tired at all - and headed straight to the main room. But she didn't expect to be the only one here. Well, other than Mom, that is. Speaking of which, Salem is standing by the window and reading something so she barely registers Ruby walking in. But upon hearing her question, she sets it back down and looks towards Ruby.

"Cinder is still resting per Dr. Watts's suggestion. Hazel is most likely training and Dr. Watts himself left last night for a mission. I hear you saw what happened with poor Tyrian last night?"

Ruby nods as she sits in one of the chairs, explaining, "Yeah, he basically rolled out of his room and was crying about something. But when I tried to see what's wrong, Haze told me to leave him alone. Apparently it happens a lot?" Ein rests beside her chair.

Salem sighs and glances back out the window for a moment. "Yes, Tyrian has had hardships before coming here. As I'm sure you've heard, Faunus aren't normally born in...the best circumstances. And Tyrian was no exception to that. When I took him in, he had no purpose. There was nothing driving him, other than a desire to get revenge on those who wronged him. And so, I helped him channel that anger into something more...productive. By helping me, he's helping himself. Just like everyone else here. Dr. Watts, Tyrian, Hazel, Cinder and...even you, Ruby. The path to everyone's desires will be found through me." She pauses, noting how Ruby is paying close attention. "Do you know what it is you want, Ruby? Do you want revenge against your family? Or do you want a _new_ family, one that you get to choose and truly call your own?"

She lets Ruby think on the questions, knowing that she must decide for herself. "I…" Salem beckons encouragingly. "I do want my own family, one that I get to pick. A-and I wanna get stronger!" Once Ruby announces that decision, she squares her shoulders and looks confidently at Salem. "I don't want to fall for others' tricks again. I don't want to be weak anymore! I don't want someone like Cinder beating me like that again!" Her grips on the armrests tighten as her eyes start glowing. Ein growls as it stands up, agitated by Ruby's emotions. Startled by Ein's movements, Ruby pets its side as her eyes stop glowing.

Salem looks at the Alpha, unconcerned by its movements. After all, Ruby may have some of her powers, but Salem is the one that is in control of all the Grimm. Nonetheless, she is impressed. It's only been a day but Ruby's already found a specific Alpha as her pet. Good. This can ensure that she'll maintain the control on the Beowolves. Almost as if to prove her point, Ein bends down towards its owner and she happily pets its head.

She takes this moment to reflect on Ruby's decision. A _family_. One that she gets to pick for herself? Salem could hardly contain her excitement. This is progressing much better than she thought possible. All she has to do now is…

"What's that, Mom?" Ruby asks as Salem picks up the object she had been looking at earlier.

"It's time you find your new family, Ruby...starting with this one." Salem walks over and places the book in front of her. Ruby traces the letters on the cover, her hand shaking with excitement: _Snow White_.

"When do I get to meet her?" She wants to open the book so badly but she knows that it's Mom's story. Mom should be the one that tells her what happens next.

"As I mentioned, Dr. Watts went to meet with the head of a family in Atlas. If needed, you and Cinder will come with him in the future to discuss important matters aside from finding a suitable Snow White."

"But how does this family even relate to Snow White?" Ruby asks, tilting her head again.

"Long before this family became prolific Dust producers, one of their family members actually served for me for a time as Snow White herself. Unfortunately, just like the past Generals, she passed on soon after she joined me because of the Wizard. However, her Semblance had a rare trait in that it was hereditary...and recently, I heard hearsay that the family has not one, but two daughters. So it's likely we'll find your Snow White between the two."

"Does she have to be from this family though?"

"No; however, the Snow White that came from this family was my most powerful one. I believe that if chosen, one of these daughters will be just like their ancestor."

"But what if I don't like them? I mean, how do I even _choose_?" Ruby slams her hands on the table, frustrated. It's so confusing! How would she even know if one of those girls is _the one_? What if she's wrong? She'd end up killing someone else and they'd have to search for a replacement! And then Mom would be powerless for that much longer! Mom…Ruby glances to Salem, hoping she'd have the answer. But upon seeing Salem's scowl, she realizes her mistake and slides her hands back onto her lap, looking down in shame. "S-sorry. I just wanted to make sure I was picking the right one. I don't wanna disappoint you, Mom."

Salem chuckles, her expression lightening up slightly. "Of course. It is perfectly valid of you to voice your concerns. After all, this will be _your_ family after all. To explain, more often than not, the Red Riding Hood is chosen by me. If I believe that one has potential, I will do what I can to help them on their path. In your case, it was between you and Cinder. But in the end, I chose you instead." Salem moves beside Ein, petting it on the head as it bows to her. She continues, "From there, it becomes a combined effort between the generals and me."

"So we'd be working together to pick Snow White?" Ruby asks as Salem sits down.

"In a sense, yes. Should we find that neither girls are fit for the position, we will simply press on and find others. But enough about what may come, dear Ruby. It's time I introduce you to Snow White's story."

Ruby looks down at the book one last time. She _does_ want a family, and if Mom said she can help her find them, she's all for it. With the decision made, Ruby slides the book towards Salem. Salem, in turn, gently opens the book to the back and begins:

 _Once upon a time, there was a lonely little girl who thought she had it all._

* * *

 **Apologies that it didn't update** **exactly one month after the previous chapter. Not only are my betas busy with their personal classwork, I've taken on more responsibilities for my club + some side projects. I will do my best to keep the schedule consistently one month, give or take a week or two, but again, quality may not be the best.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Snow White

**A day late from the last update! Oh no! But on a more serious note, a lot went down this past month. I found an internship and will be working with them for some time so most of my days are spent with whatever assignments I'm given. However, I still do want to get this story out. Just have to balance my time somehow.**

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there was a lonely little girl who thought she had it all._

 _Her family was well-known and successful until one day, someone came to call._

 _And everything soon came crashing down with an unexpected loss of someone dear._

 _The warmth that once comforted and cradled her will disappear._

 _And in its place, there'll be nothing but an endless, empty hole._

 _Bitterness and anger will fill that void._

 _The despair will only make her even more paranoid._

 _And thus Red Riding Hood closes in on this chance to take control._

* * *

"Anything to report, Dr. Watts?"

"As we heard, there are two daughters. There is going to be a charity event coming up at the start of next month. And he still refuses to provide more Dust than planned."

"I see. Perhaps it is time I send them out on a mission together."

"Your Grace, if I may…I'm not sure having them together is…wise."

He receives a chuckle in response. "Indeed. But this is the only way to get them to cooperate. Before anything is successful, there must be challenges to overcome. And I'll be sending you out with them as well. After all, you know the President personally."

A pause. "Understood. Is there anything specific you'd like us to focus on?"

"You will have two priorities: convince him to continue to cooperate with us and help find a possible Snow White."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Head buzzing? Check.

Palms sweaty? Check.

Heart pounding? Check.

The nine-year old girl takes a deep but shaky breath, clutching the microphone in her hands, the whites of her knuckles showing. She'd play with her snow white dress but she knows it would just wrinkle the fabric and that wouldn't look nice on stage or the news. It's best to leave her white hair as it is, braided perfectly down to the last strand, and to not touch the makeup on her face. She's perfect the way she is right now – like a doll – and to mess it up would be wasting all the energy and time the servants put forward for her.

She inhales slowly, counts to ten, and exhales. She is ready...as ready as she could be. Ever since her father told her that she would be performing at this charity event, she knew she wouldn't - couldn't - disappoint him.

She listens carefully to the voice onstage, waiting for the speaker to introduce her. "And now, without further ado, please welcome...Miss Weiss Schnee."

It's time.

Weiss walks across the stage to the center with her back straight and head held high, looking out towards the audience before her. In a way, she feels like a specimen to be examined as all eyes are on her. She's done recitals effortlessly before but she knows how important this is to her family. Success or fail, she knows that these next couple of minutes will be the talk of the town. And she'll do her best to make sure it's a success story. Bringing the microphone closer to her mouth, she does her best to still her shaking hands and takes a calming breath before she begins singing.

* * *

Jacques Schnee prides himself on many things: becoming the President of the SDC, being filthy rich, producing not one, but _three_ heirs – even though one of them would rather metaphorically spit in his face and tell him that she plans to join the Atlesian Military in the future (she's not even old enough to enter Atlas Academy and she's already making this decision) – and most of all, being _prepared_. So when this damned guard _dares_ to let him know that there are… _uninvited guests_ to a private and _exclusive_ party for his donors, he can hardly believe his ears. He glances over to his wife, the damned woman supposedly engrossed in their daughter's performance. A part of him wants to believe that she sent some of her friends to disrupt the event and make a scene just so he can finally tell her the truth about their relationship. But no, they would have been thrown out without a hassle. He probably wouldn't even know about it until well after the event. Whoever these people are, they must have some sort of power over his _own_ guards. Or perhaps it's time to replace these incompetent guards.

Grumbling under his breath, he rises from his chair in the private box. His other two children turn in their seats, having heard his movements. His wife barely even shifts in her seat. His youngest child, his pride and joy, whispers, "Father?"

"Stay here. This should be dealt with shortly." His son, obedient as ever, nods and turns back to watch his older sister's performance with his mother. His eldest looks at him skeptically before redirecting her attention to the stage.

Straightening his suit, Jacques follows the guard out of the room, through the hallways of the theater, and down to the main lobby.

He turns the corner and is about to step down onto the staircase when he realizes just _who_ the uninvited guests are. If you ask Jacques himself, he'd probably say he's a brave man as well, but it takes him _everything_ to not turn and walk back to his box and pretend he never saw them. He has to thank his lucky stars that they at least decided to visit while everyone else is busy watching his daughter – there would have been widespread panic if these _guests_ had appeared when they gather here later tonight. At least it makes sense why the guard had been so terrified as well now.

Had it been Faunus, he would have effortlessly removed them from the premises. And whoever decided to let those filthy animals into this event as well! However…these guests are not going to leave any time soon.

He glances out from behind the wall, looking at the thin and tan man with a mustache. He is wearing a gray tuxedo over a yellow dress shirt. Dr. Arthur Watts, disgraced Atlas doctor. He had been meeting in secret with Watts for some time now for some…side business moves so his appearance is not as much of a surprise. Perhaps he's here to discuss their agreement again. No, the issue is the two standing beside Watts that has Jacques's attention.

The girl on his left isn't that menacing at first glance, looking to be around the same age as his eldest daughter. She has long black hair, pushed back by the black mask covering her upper face. She's wearing a knee-length black dress with golden accents and a small pouch on her side, and with a hand on her hip and a confident smirk on her face, Jacques finds himself wondering if this girl really is as young as she appears.

But the other girl…is it really another human being standing there? In all honesty, Jacques is reminded of a walking corpse. She looks like she's around the same age as Weiss but it's hard for him to accept that possibility the longer he looks at her. She has a tattered black cloak wrapped around her, fur lining around her shoulders. She doesn't even bother hiding the two horns, fully aware of the attention she has because of them. But the most unsettling feature for Jacques are her _eyes_. The skin is puckered and thick around her eyelids while the rest of her upper face has a mixture of black, visible veins and tender white skin. Her actual eyes are red, reminiscent of the creatures of Grimm. She has an innocent smile on her face, but it doesn't fool him. Her appearance alone already tells him that there is something off about this little girl.

But he can't turn back now…not when that same child has her damn red eyes trained on him. Squaring his shoulders and straightening his back, he steps out from behind the wall. As he descends the stairs, he maintains eye contact on Dr. Watts.

"Arthur, what brings you to the party? In case you didn't realize, we're in the middle of my daughter's performance. I'd appreciate it if you scheduled an appointment with me instead." His past meetings with Watts have always been unannounced but he has to have _some_ semblance of control in this situation.

"You've agreed to supply us with Dust but the amount is barely enough for our plans. It makes us wonder if you really _are_ on our side, Jacques. We would like a definitive answer, Jacques."

"Besides," the girl in the black dress begins, "we all know you don't _actually_ care about her." The cloaked girl giggles slightly at the comment, glancing around at the guards surrounding them.

Jacques scowls. "As I've already told you, it takes time. I've tried to set as much Dust aside as I possibly can for you and I assumed you would know it's not as easy as snapping my fingers. I have to go through the Atlesian military to authorize _any_ transportation out of Atlas and they – as always – pay careful attention to what goes in and out of those transports. If the numbers don't match what they see, the General will immediately be suspicious. And I'm sure you're fully aware that it's not easy to produce enough Dust to supply you and the rest of Remnant. It'll take time for me to-"

"Then you make it take _less_ time," the girl in the black dress interrupts him. He pushes back the growl that builds in his throat. "It's simple, Mr. Schnee. This is _the_ business opportunity of your lifetime and it would be a shame if we had to go to someone else. We've heard that you're ruthless, that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get that extra bit of Lien for your company." She takes a step forward and his guards, acting on instinct, draw their guns at her. She calmly raises her hands up, a disarming smile on her face.

"Now Jacques, is this any way to treat old friends?" Watts speaks up, moving to stand in front of the girl. "I would have hoped you'd be a bit more hospitable than this. We all know your men would actually like to make it home tonight, I'm sure." The thinly-veiled threat is punctuated by the paler girl's small movements, allowing Jacques to see the sharp, metallic glove on her left hand. She tilts her head, challenging him and his guards to shoot at them.

He grits his teeth, looking around at his men. "Lower your weapons!" he commands. All the men lower their guns but one keeps his gun up for a second longer than the others. The red-eyed girl's smile grows, her canine teeth glinting in the light.

By the time Jacques realizes what's happening, the guard is already lying down on his back and burnt rose petals are falling down atop him. The girl herself is standing beside him, a scythe by the soldier's neck. When… _how_ …did she get that weapon into the building? The girl makes a shrugging motion and the cloak slips off to hang completely behind her back. Jacques's eyes widen at the connected Grimm appendage where her normal, _human_ arm should be.

He does not have the luxury to let this sink in as Watts sighs dramatically. "Hmm, what to do now? Ms. Rose is going to have to teach this man some lessons if you don't make your decision. And I'm sure you wouldn't want Cinder to leave this place in ashes either." Cinder pulls a small Burn Dust crystal – one of _his_ own – from the pouch and crushes it. She opens her palm and a little flame ignites. She smirks as the flame grows slightly, the threat hanging in the air. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Jacques weighs his options. He can say no or even dodge the question but it'll cost this guard his life. But does he _really_ care about the man that much? He didn't do as he was told and he _should_ be dispatched, but definitely not like this! If he agrees to their demands, he'd become a _slave_ to these people. And he's _Jacques Schnee_! He won't let someone else tell him what to do!

"Father?"

The voice catches the three uninvited guests off guard. Jacques releases a small sigh of relief, glad that the attention has shifted off of him for now.

Weiss stops beside the banister, taking stock of the situation. She had glanced into the family box and saw her father missing. And so, she had slipped away from the guards and wandered the hallways in search of her father.

Watts scoffs. "You're a lucky man, Jacques. We wouldn't want to have to spill any blood in front of an audience, especially in front of such a young lady." Watts and Cinder turn to leave and the guards quickly move out of the way. "Ruby, if you would."

Ruby steps away from the guard and tendrils of black smoke start coming out of the scythe. It slowly reverts back to its original form as she looks up at Weiss, her red eyes sending chills down the singer's spine. Weiss's heart leaps out of her chest when Ruby lifts the right hand as it finishes shifting. With a small smile on Ruby's lips, she waves at Weiss happily.

They stare at one another for a couple more seconds before Ruby nods, seemingly satisfied with something, and follows Watts and Cinder. Ruby smiles cheekily at Cinder when another guard aims his gun at them. "You bitch!"

Weiss had kept her eyes on Ruby the entire time since they made eye contact. But for a brief moment, it feels like Ruby had disappeared into thin air and in her place by the door is a scatter of burnt rose petals. She scans the foyer and spots the guard crumpling to the ground like a puppet without his strings, blood pooling around his neck. Ruby is kneeling behind the guard's corpse, her right arm morphed into the scythe again. Mortified, Weiss brings her hands up to her mouth to stifle a gasp. She grips the banister tightly, sweating nervously, and trying to stop her legs from shaking. Who or _what_ is this person? "And now look at what you've done," Watts sighs dramatically. "We're going to have to let her know about what happened today, Jacques." The man in question does not move from his spot, even as the guard's blood starts to seep into the sole of his shoes.

"And she's not going to like this," Cinder adds.

"I suggest you prepare yourself. It'd be a shame if," he glances up at Weiss for a moment, "your family had to suffer the consequences of your actions…or lack thereof."

The threat hangs in the air as Watts and Cinder leaves. Ruby hangs around a bit longer to make sure no one else tries anything. Weiss ducks down slightly when she glances back up at her again. This time, Ruby waves with her gloved hand before she speeds out of the foyer.

The only evidences of their presence are the corpse and the burnt rose petals that litter the foyer.

* * *

"So…how'd it go?" Tyrian asks, noting the frustrated look on Cinder's face as she sits down in her seat. "Not well, I'm guessing." Watts remains silent as he settles down beside Hazel.

Ruby pets Ein before hopping onto the edge of the table. "There was this one guard who didn't listen to that president guy when he told them to lower their weapons so I stopped him. And then this other guard tried to pick a fight with us when we were leaving. I mean, c'mon, 'you bitch' was the best he could come up with?"

"You ruined the plans because of that?" Hazel asks.

Ruby shakes her head innocently. "I mean, _they_ started it. That first guy didn't listen to us and then the second guy was gonna hurt someone – like Cinder – if I didn't stop him!" Hazel's only response is a sigh and Ruby pouts. "C'mon Haze! I'm pretty sure it's better that he's dead and not Cinder!"

"And in the end, we had no chance but to leave at that moment. We lost our chance to convince Remnant's largest Dust supplier to _continue_ to assist us…all because someone here got trigger happy." Cinder glares at Ruby, who crosses her arms and turns her head away.

"This negotiation thing just isn't my style! It's so _boring_! It's just _talking_ and _talking_! There's no _action_!"

"Then don't come next time! Just stay back here and hide away from the world like a scared kid!"

"I can't just say no to Mom, you know! Unlike you, I actually _listen_ to what she wants me to do! I know it's easy for you to do it, but I'd rather not upset Mom!" She huffs. "Besides, I'm not the one that froze up when the gun was pointed at them."

Cinder can feel her eye twitch. Who does she think she is? Just because she has some fucked up mother-daughter relationship with Salem doesn't – _shouldn't_ – mean that she gets to do whatever she wants. Her hand snakes to her side, about to pull out a Dust crystal, when she feels Hazel's strong grip on her forearm.

"Enough, you've tried this before and you know how it turns out."

Tyrian snickers, "Yes, we wouldn't want to have you embarrass yourself _again_ , dear Cinder." He gestures at his left eye mockingly and chuckles as Cinder grits her teeth.

The wooden doors slowly creak open before she can do anything.

Ruby grins happily and raises her hands up in the air elatedly as Salem steps into the room. "Mom!"

Salem nods briefly before stating, "I see you've returned from your mission. Was it successful?"

Ruby scowls, her scars becoming more prominent. "He didn't give us an answer." Ruby turns her body towards Salem's seat, facing the rest of the occupants of the room.

"How disappointing of him." Salem walks over to her seat as she continues, "I suppose we will have to use… _other_ means to persuade him."

Cinder looks down at her hands, wrapped up in her own thoughts. She's positive that she and Watts would have convinced Jacques successfully if Ruby had never been assigned on this mission in the first place. Things wouldn't be as complicated as they are now if she wasn't so damn trigger-happy!

Salem asks, "Is there more to report?"

At this, Ruby leans forward and her eyes widen with excitement. "I think I found Snow White!"

"That cowering girl? Do you honestly think she'd be of any use to us?" Watts challenges her.

Ruby shakes her head. "I dunno how to explain it but I just… _felt_ something."

Something snaps in Cinder. She slams her palms on the table and stands up, glaring at the youngest member of the court. "That's bullshit and you know it, Ruby! You're just trying to hide the fact that you _fucked_ this up for everyone! What kind of explanation is that? You just have a _feeling_ that she's the one? How the hell would you know that?"

Ruby, with a blank look on her face, stares at Cinder for a few moments before she tilts her head, "You'd know if you were the Red Riding Hood."

"Enough," Salem raises her hand to stop the impending argument. "Before we make any decision on that, what did Cinder mean when she said you were the cause of the missions' failure?"

"It wasn't _my_ fault he had a bunch of guards there with him! We came in at the time you said we should, when they're all distracted with the girl singing! But anyways, one of them wasn't listening to mister president when he told them to lower their guns so I thought I was gonna _finally_ get to have some real fun…And then that girl showed up so Watts decided it was time to go because more people were probably gonna show up soon too. So then on our way out, another guard called us bitches and tried to shoot us! So, like I've been telling Cinder over and over since we left, it was self-defense and if it wasn't for me, one of us could have gotten seriously hurt!" Ruby lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through her hair.

The group waits for Salem's response, the woman in question sitting there quietly with her eyes closed. "What was the one thing I told you before you left on this mission?"

Ruby ponders on this for a moment. "Uh…be discreet?"

"Precisely. And you failed to do that." Ruby frowns. "While I appreciate that you did, indeed, step in and prevent any harm from happening to Dr. Watts or dear Cinder…the SDC will most likely be on the lookout for you. This will complicate your chances to talk to the potential Snow White and perhaps even affect our plans with Dust…We will need to recruit new rogues to help us."

"I'm sure I can find some near my old home," Cinder offers. "There's more than enough muscle that will assist us for the right price or reward. And I'm sure the White Fang wouldn't mind wreaking some havoc on the SDC."

Watts snorts derisively. "As if those peace-loving Faunus would want to resort to violence."

"There are…several Faunus within the organization that wouldn't…mind," Tyrian informs them. Once he has their attention, he starts snickering to himself. "Sienna Khan."

"Do you really think she'd wanna meet with us though?" Ruby asks. "Unless you're offering to talk with her, since you're a Faunus and all."

"Oh please, you and I both know that negotiation is not our strongest skill, _child_ ," Tyrian dismisses.

Ruby growls, bringing her Grimm hand forward. Tyrian grins.

"Enough," Salem's voice cuts through the tension. "While the White Fang's leader may be against violence, he is still confined to Menagerie and its immediate areas. It will take time for any news that happens in Atlas to reach him in time for him to act. Rather than reach out to Sienna Khan, we will find other Faunus in the immediate area and see if we can use them instead." Salem looks around the court. "Tyrian, I want you to recruit as many Faunus, members of the White Fang or not, and have them disrupt as many SDC proceedings as possible."

"Yes, my Queen."

"Hazel, I want you to recruit as many brutes from Cinder's old hometown as possible to gather as much Dust as possible…outside of the legal measures. Dr. Watts, you will monitor the SDC and assist the other men should they need it with their missions. Cinder, I'd like you to infiltrate the Schnee residence." Cinder looks at Salem curiously. "Even if you can't find a position of some sort, I believe you have the ability to sneak around the home without getting caught. I'd like you to pass on any relevant information that you may learn to us."

Ruby raises her hand, stopping Salem. "What about me, Mom?"

"You will stay here until we have an opening for you to talk to the girl you mentioned. I'm positive that Cinder will obtain the information that we need." Ruby opens her mouth to protest but Salem raises her hand, stopping the young general. "You are wanted now, Ruby. After interrupting a charity event and even going as far as killing someone…They will be on the lookout for you now. It is best for you to lie low. I know you want to recruit Snow White as soon as possible, but if we rush in without a plan, you will die. And you wouldn't want to do that to me now, would you?"

Ruby balks, knowing that Salem has a point. But still! She doesn't want to just _stay here and do nothing_. "Can't I do something though?"

"You can and will. While we wait for Cinder to get back to us, you will continue to train with Ein and the rest of the Beowolves. When you are not with them, you will train with me."

Ruby's face lights up at that. She _loves_ training with Mom! Mom always knows the right things to say and understands her powers so she'll have all the answers Ruby needs whenever she's confused about something! "You got it, Mom!"

* * *

 _Two weeks later…_

Today was supposed to be a happy day.

" _Surely you couldn't have gone home earlier today? On your own daughter's_ tenth _birthday?"_

It was supposed to be a celebration.

" _Why are you always so isolated from us? Do you not love them? Do you not love me?"_

But everything went wrong.

" _Oh Willow, if someone loved you, it's not me. You and I both know I did this for the family name. But you still chose me. You still thought I would be the husband you always dreamt of. Well wake up! This is the harsh reality! I'm stuck at the company, cleaning up the messes that your father left me as well as the headache known as the Faunus! I don't give a damn about whose birthday it is!"_

Weiss squeezes her eyes shut tight, her hand also clinging to the blanket draped over her body. She tries to force herself to forget the argument that had just transpired.

It was supposed to be a happy celebration for her. It was her _birthday_ , but now she just wants it to be _over_. Her father had come home well past the dinner celebration the family had planned and her mother was not going to let him off with an excuse. But it only led to an argument that broke her mother. Weiss had never seen her mother collapse so physically and emotionally before. She had no idea what to do.

All she knew was that she wanted to get out of there, out of that room and away from everyone. She just wanted to _isolate_ herself, even though her sister and Klein would rather comfort her. But, she tries to reason, maybe if she goes to sleep…she'll wake up the next day and it would have all been a bad dream. But then again…When was the last time she slept soundly? …Oh right, a month before she performed at the charity event. She tosses and turns in her bed, trying to fall asleep. But her eyes keep opening every couple of seconds almost as if she's expecting to see something. Or someone.

It's easy to _want_ to go to sleep but it's another thing to actually fall asleep. And ever since that botched charity event, Weiss has found it even harder to sleep. That charity event…ever since that night, the Schnee Dust Company had gone downhill, publicity-wise and profits-wise. Forced to clean up the literal mess those strangers had left, Jacques had no choice but to end the event right then and there. As expected, everyone was confused and disgruntled, having only been at the event for a little over an hour.

He sent the rest of the family home, staying behind to deal with the fallout. On her way out, Jacques emphasized to not tell a single soul – not even Winter or Klein – about what truly happened tonight to avoid panic. And so, Weiss has had to bottle it up since.

Weiss turns onto her other side, her eyes open for a second before closing them again.

The only thing Winter knows is that something bad had happened and that the children needed to train – or at least, she and Winter. But for what? Even Weiss didn't know…Whitley, on the other hand, is still young so he's largely unaffected by the turn of events. Weiss scowls, her eyes still closed. She hates having this information but not knowing what to do with it!

Weiss turns again, her eyes opening for a couple seconds longer as they linger over her weapon case. Ever since that night, Weiss had decided to sleep with Myrtenaster within arm's reach so should something go wrong, she'd be ready. She doesn't even know what _could_ happen, but she'd much rather be prepared than not. She closes her eyes again, frustrated.

Her father's words run through her mind again. What a birthday present to give to his daughter. He had spent the entire day at the company, dealing with more disappearing Dust cargo. Ever since last month, shipments that _do_ arrive to its destination would be missing half, if not more, of its intended amount. There are times when these cargo ship arrive with corpses and a shaken up pilot instead.

She just wanted to pretend to be normal for a day! Was that so hard to ask? Her tenth birthday was supposed to be her one day where there things were normal, where she could pretend her world wasn't slowly falling apart, where…she could act as if she had a real family. Instead, she got a father who not only came home late but also revealed to the entire family, Klein, and other servants that he never married her mother out of love. One hell of a birthday present.

She can't keep this up. Her exhaustion is starting to wear her down and just make her even more irritable. Even her eating habits have worsened. She can barely finish the meals that Klein makes for her, preferring to take small bites and play around with her food.

But she holds out hope. Even though her father revealed the truth about his relationship with her mother, Weiss still believes he's a competent leader for the company. He'll resolve all of the company problems soon enough. She feels her body start to drift off to slee-

 _Tap tap tap._

Her eyes are wide open by the second tap, her heart pounding and her grip on the blanket tightening. She waits a couple seconds for the sound again. Did the sleep deprivation finally catch up to her? Is it causing hallucinations now? When she doesn't hear it again, she closes her eyes, slightly annoyed. She was just starting to finally fall asle-

 _Tap tap tap_.

Weiss practically leaps up, her hand flying to Myrtenaster. Once the weapon is in her hand, she points its tip towards the direction of the sound while her other hand scrambles for the light. Switching it on, she stiffens but sees nothing. Was it just a tree branch? As if on cue, a tree branch bends forward and taps on her window. She lets out a sigh of relief, not realizing she had been holding her breath. She'll have to ask Klein to cut the branches tomorrow morning. She normally doesn't mind having the branches growing so close to the window but these last couple of weeks have been rough on her mentally and physically. She hesitantly switches off the light and lies back down in her bed, the moonlight spilling into her room and casting odd shadows in her room.

As she settles back into a comfortable position, she decides to leave Myrtenaster beside her and pulls the sheets over her again. She finally closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her face twists into a scowl. Was that the wind or was that her breathing? …Did it suddenly get colder in her room? But all of her windows are closed, she was looking at them a couple seconds ago after all. And yet, she can't shake the feeling that something is terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

She wants to open her eyes, she knows she should open her eyes. She has to confirm if there really is a presence in the room with her. But no matter how badly she wants her eyelids to open, they don't. Instead, she feels her breath constricting and her body tensing up. She wants to regain control of her body but she can't. Why won't her limbs listen to her? She can't breathe. Oh dust, she can't breathe. It just feels like there's pressure on her chest and she can feel her breath quicken, almost hyperventilating. Confused and terrified, she begs her eyes to please, just please, open.

Her leg involuntarily twitches and it feels like whatever is binding her finally releases her. She lets out a loud gasp and her eyes shoot open as she sits up once again. Her eyes frantically scan the area to find something, anything, that could explain what just happened to her. Her left hand finds the grip of Myrtenaster and she clutches it like a lifeline, gasping for breath.

She wipes the sweat from her forehead and feels her heart rate finally slowing down once she realizes that she is still alone in her room. She lets out a sigh of relief as she leans against the wall, closing her eyes.

 _Tap tap tap._

Ah the tree branch is at it again.

 _Tap tap tap._

Wait.

 _Tap tap tap._

It sounds like it's much closer now...as if it's inside…? She hesitantly peeks one eye open and sees them.

The girl with the glowing red eyes that have been plaguing her with nightmares since they first met the night of the charity event. Her metallic glove rests on the bedpost, one of the fingers poised to start tapping again.

Weiss blinks, thinking it's just her imagination. She must be more exhausted than she originally thought. But no, even after a couple of blinks and eye rubs, the red eyes are still looking directly at her - never once leaving her. The two stare at one another for a couple more seconds with Weiss praying in her head to every deity she knows that this is all just a bad dream.

And then, the person smiles.

* * *

Jacques absentmindedly thumbs through the books in his study, a glass of wine in hand. The buzz from the alcohol helps him forget about the day. He had full intentions to come home in time for dinner – he really did…at least, to keep up the pretense that the Schnee family is not as damaged as it truly is. But then the damned Faunus…those _filthy animals_ held up all of his exits, protesting about their rights and their humanity.

And then he comes home, thinking he'd be able to excuse himself from the birthday because he's been busy back at the company. But _no_ , his wife…that cursed woman! She just had to call him out on it the moment he stepped foot into the house. Well, he let her have it. He finally got to tell her the truth about their marriage – but the woman isn't _that_ stupid. She probably knew from the moment she walked down the altar, if not earlier than that. She just didn't want to _accept_ it.

She retreated into the kitchen, doing Remnant knows what. And his children…well, at least Whitley was sensible enough to walk back to his room without a word. Weiss did too, after looking at him teary-eyed. The hurt in her eyes, ha! If she honestly thought they were one big happy family or that the world would stop for a day just for her, she's much more naïve than he thought possible. And then his eldest, Winter. She tried to tell him off too! The nerve of her! Barely a teenager and she's already trying to assert herself. He is her _father_! Not some insignificant man that she can pretend to hold power over! Why can't his daughters be more like Whitley?

He takes a sip of the wine to calm himself down.

For now, he'll have to weather this storm. Surely Watts and his…master…will see that he will not budge further on the matter. He can't just let them run all over him. He refused them before and he can do it again. Try as they might, he is Jacques Schnee and he will _never_ submit!

 _Knock knock knock_.

Jacques clears his throat, lowering his hand. When the hell did he raise it to begin with? He drinks some more of the wine before speaking, "Who is it?"

The door slowly creaks open and Jacques scowls as a young female servant walks in. He feels as though he's met her before but he can't quite tell if he did. After all, the servants – aside from Klein – are unimportant to him. As long as they get the job done, he won't and shouldn't have any problems with them.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your quarters?" She doesn't respond, choosing to look away from him. Her hands fidget with her braided hair and her mouth moves but no sounds come out. Even with her hair tied up, strands of it still covers the eye-patch on the left side of her face. Fed up with her skittishness, he steps closer to her. "It's late and this is the main residence. If you have nothing important to tell me, then _leave_. Otherwise, I'll have you removed from these premises!"

The girl finally looks up at Jacques, sending a chill down his spine. Her golden amber eye stares directly at him, the meek demeanor suddenly gone. Her hands drop from her hair and places a hand on her hip, her back straightening and an arrogant smirk on her lips. His eyes widen, remembering where he met this girl before.

The charity event.

Maintaining eye contact, she begins:

" _Mirror, mirror, on the wall,_

 _Who in this land is the greediest of them all?_

 _Distracted with so many battles..._

 _He doesn't even notice that there is a poisoned apple_

 _Placed in his world by the Wicked Witch_

 _But he should be more careful, lest he and his family end up in a_ _ **ditch**_."

With that, she pulls out a small, black dagger. The sense of bloodlust emanating from her terrifies him, the glass of wine slipping out of his hands and shattering on the ground. She takes a step forward and he ducks to the side, his heart leaping out of his chest. Even though she doesn't move any more than that, Jacques sprints out of the room.

Once he's gone, Cinder pockets the knife. "Fool."

* * *

She knew from the beginning. He said that he did love her…perhaps, he did…once. But now she knows the truth. The Schnee family, one of – if not the most – most prestigious and wealthiest producers of Dust, is nothing but a sham. He never did anything that wasn't towards his own gain. The three children? Insignificant and irrelevant, other than to add onto his "perfect" appearance. If he had it his way, he'd find a way to be immortal and be President of the SDC forever.

Willow looks into the cabinet, her eyes blank and distant. She sighs, reaching for the bottle at the top of the shelf. A simple bottle of red wine, unopened. Perfect.

She sets it down on the dining table, next to the plates from the party. That disastrous attempt of a birthday celebration for her daughter. All the food and drinks…wasted. Willow hoped it would be an opportunity for them to feel like a family again. After all, ever since the charity event, the family has become even more fractured than before. That damn event. She knew it was a bad idea, but he insisted on holding it. Well, he got his wish. He got the entirety of Atlas to talk about him and _not_ in a good way. She never asked him what exactly happened that night, but she can guess.

He most likely got caught up with some…questionable business partners and couldn't back out in time so they decided to punish him during an important moment in his life. She's heard stories about this from other Dust producers…the lesser ones that tried to make a name for themselves in an attempt to compete with the SDC. She never thought Jacques would be that foolish enough to get involved like he did.

And he thought he's smarter than her. What a joke.

She pops open the bottle of wine, looking around for a glass. Ah, there they are. She picks up the glass for a moment before setting it back down. It's not like she's saving the bottle for anyone else other than herself, might as well drink it all.

Right as she brings the bottle up to her lips, the door to the dining room bursts open. She nearly drops the bottle, surprised.

"You startled me, Jacques. What? Are you here to apo-?"

"Now is _not_ the time, Willow. There's an assassin in our home! We have to go _now_."

It takes her a moment to process the information as she sets the bottle of wine back down onto the table. When it does, she narrows her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about, Jacques? Is this some twisted attempt to try and make up for your-"

"Are you familiar with something or someone called the Wicked Witch?"

Upon hearing the name, the hair on the back of Willow's neck stand on end and she can feel her stomach churn. Her legs shake, threatening to give out on her, so she grabs a nearby chair to steady herself. "Where did you hear it?"

"The assassin recited a poem to me, mentioning a poisoned apple and the Wicked Witc-" Willow shoves Jacques aside before he can finish and locks the door behind him.

"We can't go back this way. We have to take the long way…where are the children?"

"Willow, what is going on? Who is the Wicked Witch? Why do you we need to kno-"

"I'm such an idiot! I should have known you'd somehow get involved with them, of all people!" Willow frantically paces around, trying to decide what to do next.

"Willow! What is happening?" Jacques asks, but Willow only shakes her head, frustrated.

"I'll tell you more later. Right now, we need to get to the children."

"I won't move until you tell me what's going o-"

"Snow White." When Jacques looks quizzically at her, she sighs. "Prior to the creation of the SDC, my father had a younger sister – the youngest child in the family, actually. That same younger sister went missing sometime during the Great War. We…never found her or at least...who she was. Only a sick and… _twisted_ version of her. By then, she went by the name 'Snow White' and actually tried to fight with my father and anyone who stood in her way. Of course, I was still too young to understand what was happening at the time. It was only later when my father told me that someone named the 'Wicked Witch' captured her, corrupting her and making her believe that the world needs to be fixed. But that's not important right now. Was this why you ended that charity event early? Did someone from the Wicked Witch's court visit you that night?" Willow pauses, shaking her head. "No, we'll deal with that later. Where are the children?"

"Winter is in the library with Kl-"

"Then we go there first, come on!"

* * *

"I don't know what to do, Klein. I truly do want to join the Atlesian Military but…I don't want my father's corrupted hands taking control of the Schnee Dust Company anymore. I'm so stupid! I should have known he never loved Mother!" Winter slams her fist onto the armrest.

After her father's little blow-up after coming home late to the dinner, she tried to talk to and cheer up her little sister…the poor birthday girl. But Weiss refused to respond, despite all of Winter's attempts to even enter the room. And so, here she is…coming to their resident butler, Klein Sieben.

The middle-aged man sits quietly in his favorite sofa chair as he contemplates on what to say next. "Should you decide to take over the SDC over your father when you become of age…what then? You'll have to be in charge of something you don't truly enjoy."

"But I don't want this to continue! He's only using us, my mother, and our _name_ to further his own gains, Klein! The longer he stays in power, the more uneasy I feel. Since I'm the oldest, it'll only be a couple more years of waiting before I can usurp him. Weiss and Whitley are too young, and the longer we wait, the more time for the SDC's name to be smeared. It's already lost its power, ever since that charity event." The eldest Schnee stands up from her chair, pacing back and forth.

"Winter, I understand your frustrations. But with everything that's been happening, your father actually cannot move forward with most of his more…questionable…plans for the company. So in a way, all of these recent issues have been successful in delaying him just that much more. All we can do is take it a year, no, a day at a time. I understand that it's frustrating to see him in power, but I believe that there will be an answer to that prob-"

"Winter!" Willow's voice interrupts their conversation. The urgency in the woman's voice causes Klein to leap out of his seat, ready for her commands. She rushes towards Winter, grabbing the eldest by her shoulders. "Are you harmed? Has anyone come to you?"

Confused, Winter tries to process the questions. "I…I've been in here with Klein since…since Father came home. Why? What is wrong?"

"There's no time to explain everything. Klein, please get Weiss for me." The butler bows and starts walking out of the room, knowing better to question everything _after_ this situation is resolved. Winter doesn't fail to notice him grabbing the tray and candelabra. Something is wrong.

"Mother, where is Father?"

"Right here," Jacques announces from the doorway. Winter sees her little brother leaning against her father's leg, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Looking between her parents and noticing the barely concealed looks of panic on their faces, Winter asks, "Mother, what is going on?"

Willow glances over to Jacques and explains, "Your father got involved with some people he never should have from the start. And now we're pulled into his mess."

"Wh-?"

A scream pierces the air.

Now wide awake, Whitley clutches his father's pants. "Who was that?"

Jacques and Willow exchange another look and start moving towards a bookcase behind Winter. She tries to push past Jacques but he holds her back. "What are you doing?! That was Weiss!"

"We have to go _now_!" Willow commands, activating the switch to open the hidden corridor. Whitley obediently enters, still not fully understanding what's happening. Jacques and Willow stop by the entrance as Winter looks out to the hallway.

"But Weiss…"

"Have faith in Klein, Winter. He's the head butler for a reason. He'll catch up with us later, Weiss beside him," Willow attempts to reassure her, but Winter can't help but shake the uneasy feeling.

"Can we please hurry up?" Jacques rushes them. " _Before_ the assassin realizes we're here."

"Assassin?" As if on cue, a young girl around the same age as Winter appears down the hallway. She feels both her parents pull her forcefully deeper into the corridor. Willow quickly closes the entrance as Cinder enters the room.

Cinder glances around the room before pocketing the knife again. She shrugs and leaves the room, heading for the entrance of the house. As she walks through the house, she ponders on her experience at the Schnee Household. Honestly, it was nearly effortless to infiltrate them despite their attempts to up security. All she had to do was convince another servant that she was better off working somewhere else than the cursed Schnee family. And that servant agreed almost instantly. Integrating herself into the routine was easy enough. Sure there were times when Jacques did mistreat her, but she knew she had to keep up appearances. So she kept her head down and listened. Then she found out that there were plans for a birthday party tonight.

Cinder could hardly believe her luck. All she had to do then was contact Tyrian, who would agitate the Faunus in the area to stall Jacques. Granted, the man came back much sooner than anyone anticipated but all she had to do was pretend to make an attempt on his life to send him running to save his own skin. She wasn't sure how she would get the rest of the family to run but he did the work for her! Gathering them all – well, minus one – into the same room to escape, the absolute coward.

Ah well, all she has to do now and wait for her to make her move. Cinder glances out the window and sees a rose petal drifting in the wind. She smirks.

* * *

Weiss frantically crawls away from the figure, kicking the sheet off of her and nearly falling off the mattress itself. Even after Weiss's scream, the person hasn't moved from her spot.

This has to be an illusion! She has to be imagining things! This can't be real!

"Ms. Schnee! Are you harmed?!" Klein's voice from the other side of the door brings some sense of relief to Weiss for a moment, but the young girl on the other side of her bed frowns.

"She said she'd get rid of everyone," the demo- girl mumbles to herself. Taking this brief moment of distraction as an opportunity, Weiss rolls off the bed and runs to the door. Before she can touch the handle, the girl suddenly appears in front of her as rose petals fall around them. "C'mon! I just wanted to talk!" Up close, Weiss can see the burn scars around the girl's eyes and the black veins webbing the upper part of her face. Weiss steps away to the side, pointing Myrtenaster at her. The girl looks at the tip of the rapier pointed directly at her chest but remains unconcerned. "Look, I just wanted to tal-"

Suddenly, the door nearly explodes as it flies off its hinges and collides with the girl. The blast sends the door and the girl flying away from Weiss, back towards the window she had entered from. She takes a step back as Klein enters, the weaponized candelabra in his hand. Its grip has extended and the arms of the candelabra have joined together where a larger flame dances. The silver tray that Klein brought has also grown in size, resembling a shield. The Schnee insignia rests at the center of it. "Ms. Schnee! Are you here?!"

"Klein!" Weiss calls out, rushing to the butler and hugging him. "Where are Mother and Father? Winter? Whitley?"

"They are most likely waiting for us outside of the house! Come! We must head to the library!" As they start to move, the girl moves slightly and pushes the door off of her body.

"Oh man, Mom is not gonna be happy about this." She stands up, shaking her head and brushing off rubble from her cloak with her gloved, left hand. "Cinder had _one_ job too!"

"Step back, Ms. Schnee…" Klein commands, stepping forward and brandishing the candelabra. "I don't know who or what you are, but you will _not_ harm a hair on Ms. Schnee!"

Confused, the girl raises both arms, palms outward. "Wait, I just wanted to talk to her! I wasn't planning on _hurting_ her!"

Klein finally spots the blackened right hand and tightens his stance. "If that were true, you would not have come at the dead of night into Ms. Schnee's room. And Jacques would not have gathered the rest of the family to flee from you. You may claim one thing, but we can see there's proof otherwise."

At this, the girl scowls. "Fine…sure, I guess you caught me. But that doesn't mean I'm just gonna leave!" She leans forward and though Klein prepares himself, he is unable to fully withstand her enhanced tackle. The force throws Klein out of the room and against the wall outside.

Ignoring Weiss, she steps out of the room and stands over Klein. She sighs. "I told Mom I was gonna try and be discrete about this, but if the whole house knows I'm here…there's not really a point in being super secretive about this anymore. I even promised her I wasn't gonna hurt anyone unless I had to because I was just supposed to _talk_. But…" She forms her scythe. "I'm pretty sure it'll be okay after I tell her that you started it."

Klein raises his shield in a futile attempt to block the attack, but the girl kicks it away. Weiss tries to move, knowing she has to be faster than the girl. But her legs refuse to listen to her commands. She internally curses, begging her body to move. Something within her unlocks. She instinctively raises Myrtenaster as a glyph forms beneath her. She can hear a clock ticking faster as she regains control of her legs, launching herself at the girl. She barely has time to rear back her rapier before she has to thrust it forward again, directly into the Grimm arm. The momentum forces Weiss to collide with the girl as well, causing them to fall forward. Klein rolls out of the way as they land, Weiss on top of the girl.

Klein pulls Weiss away, leaving Myrtenaster embedded in the Grimm arm. As the girl tries to recover, Klein steps over and applies pressure onto the rapier as the tip pierces through the other side of the arm into the ground. The girl screams in pain as she tries to move but Myrtenaster keeps her in place. Weiss recovers, picking up the shield-tray and smashes it into the side of the girl's face. The girl's body goes limp.

Weiss drops the shield as she tries to catch her breath. What the hell is going on? Why is this girl here? Why did her family run without her?

"Ms. Schn- Weiss, are you harmed?" Klein asks, grunting as he pulls Myrtenaster from the arm. He tries to ignore the fact that he doesn't see blood on the weapon nor on the ground. This girl clearly is not human.

He hands the rapier back to his young ward as she shakes her head. "No, she didn't hurt me. What about you, Klein?"

Klein coughs briefly but nods. "I'm still alright, just a couple bruises. My aura is low, but I'm positive we'll be fi-"

The girl's groans interrupt them. She pushes herself up with her human arm, her Grimm arm slack as black tendrils of smoke permeate from it.

Instinctively, Weiss places her hand in front of Klein to keep him from moving forward and points Myrtenaster at the girl. "I don't know what you want, but you will _not_ lay another finger on Klein nor me!"

The girl stops moving for a moment before she suddenly turns her head towards them, opening her red eyes. Weiss is sure she kept her eyes on the girl the entire time, just like last time. And yet, the sudden cascade of the petals surrounding her and Klein beg to differ.

As Klein crumples to the ground and a pool of blood start to form, pain shoots up Weiss's left shoulder. She collapses onto her knees and screams in pain, clutching at the now bloodied stump of her left arm. The amputated arm lies on the side of Klein's motionless body. The girl stands above her, a larger, grotesque scythe extended from the Grimm arm. She desperately grabs Myrtenaster and swings it at the girl, who easily steps out of range. Tears stream down Weiss's face as her vision swims. She feels herself fall forward but uses Myrtenaster to prop herself up for a moment.

 _Today was supposed to be a happy day._

The girl kicks the rapier away and Weiss's body, weak from blood loss, gives in to gravity.

 _It was supposed to be a celebration._

As she starts to black out, she hears footsteps and then frantic yelling.

 _But everything went wrong._

Then Weiss hears and sees nothing at all.

 _ **So terribly wrong.**_

* * *

 **So some questions that I know I would've had as a reader:**

 **-How did Weiss not notice Ruby?**

 _In the frantic moment of breaking out of sleep paralysis, Weiss was extremely panicked so she was looking everywhere and glossed over Ruby._

 **-Why did Willow and Jacques not go to Weiss?**

 _On their way to Winter, Willow told Jacques to check on the other two...and he chose Whitley instead of Weiss. Willow wanted to make sure Winter was not harmed, having assumed they were after the eldest and not the youngest._

 **-How did Ruby regain consciousness so fast?**

 _She was never unconscious to begin with ;) She merely pretended to be._

 **I'll try to work on this as much as I can. Spring Break is coming up soon and I'll be going on a trip so maybe I'll have time to work on it during the flight and downtime at the location. For now, assume monthly updates...give or take a few days.**


End file.
